After Australia’s landmark decision to bar children from social media, several European nations, including Britain and France, are weighing similar prohibitions. However, as governments move toward legislative action, experts remain locked in a heated debate over whether a blanket ban is a cure-all or a misplaced effort.
The Australian Precedent
Last month, Australia became the first nation to prohibit children under 16 from using major platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube. The move has sparked a global domino effect.
In France, lawmakers are currently debating bills aimed at a similar ban for those under 15—a policy heavily championed by President Emmanuel Macron. Meanwhile, reports indicate that UK government officials recently consulted with Jonathan Haidt, the American psychologist whose 2024 bestseller, The Anxious Generation, argues that screen-centric childhoods are “rewiring” brains and fueling a mental health epidemic.
A Scientific Divide
While Haidt’s theories have gained significant political traction, they remain divisive in academic circles. Canadian psychologist Candice Odgers recently challenged Haidt’s narrative, stating his “scary story” is not sufficiently supported by rigorous science.
The core of the disagreement lies in the “dose-response” relationship between scrolling and mental health. Michael Noetel, a researcher at the University of Queensland, argues that even small negative effects become significant when scaled across billions of users.
“My read is that Haidt is more right than his harshest critics admit, and less right than his book implies,” Noetel told AFP, adding that given the potential risks, a ban is “a bet worth making.”
The “Goldilocks” Effect: Everything in Moderation?
Recent data suggests the relationship between social media and well-being may not be linear. A study led by Ben Singh at the University of Adelaide, which tracked 100,000 young Australians, found that the worst mental health outcomes occurred in two groups: those who used social media excessively (over two hours a day) and those who did not use it at all.
“The findings suggest that both excessive restriction and excessive use can be problematic,” Singh told AFP. The study noted that moderate users fared the best, while total deprivation was particularly detrimental to older teenage boys.
The Challenge of Enforcement
Even those who agree on the toxicity of social media express skepticism about a total ban. French psychiatrist Serge Tisseron warned that tech-savvy teens would likely bypass restrictions, potentially absolving parents of their role in digital supervision.
“The debate has become extremely polarized between an outright ban or nothing at all,” Tisseron said, calling for a more nuanced regulatory approach.
As the world watches, the “Australian experiment” serves as a live case study. Last week, Australia’s online safety watchdog reported that tech companies have already blocked 4.7 million accounts belonging to users under 16.
“Within a year, we should know much more about how effective the Australian ban has been and whether it led to any unintended consequences,” said Amy Orben, a researcher at Cambridge University.
AFP contributed to this report.
