Can parents get behind the Aussie ban on social media for kids?

What’s interesting about the law is that it will not penalise parents or children. Instead, it puts the onus squarely on companies like Meta, X, Snap, ByteDance (TikTok) and Reddit. If they fail to keep children from accessing their platforms, they could be fined up to $32 million. Naturally, it has drawn the ire of billionaires like Elon Musk, who described the legislation “a backdoor way to control access to the Internet by all Australians".

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Of course, parents need to set strict boundaries with children and not have to rely on a ban, but let’s face it, social media and device addiction is the epidemic. In 2021, in a series of reports, The Facebook Files, The Wall Street Journal chronicled how Facebook (now Meta) research showed that social media had a negative impact on teens’ mental health and that 32% of teenaged girls felt Instagram worsened their body image issues.

Barring minors from having social media accounts would address peer pressure. My 14-year-old, for instance, asks me everyday why I won’t let her have an Instagram account like all her friends. Addiction aside, bullying is also common on social media and digital literacy and counselling are needed to help children deal with the dark side of social media.

Gayathri Ananth, a special educator and ed-tech entrepreneur from Bengaluru, says her 14-year-old son Hrishikesh is one of the few students in his school who doesn’t have a phone and is not on social media. “At first he felt left out but later realised he prefers being outdoors or hanging out with his friends," she says. “Studies show that the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain associated with decision-making develops at the age of 25. When 45-year-old adults get addicted to Instagram, how can we expect teenagers to use it responsibly?"

Teens themselves have mixed feelings about it. Rithvik Rishi, 15, of Hyderabad, likes using social media and communities like Reddit. “My friends use Instagram to review books or upload music. I’ve also made friends on social media who have my interests." Hrishikesh acknowledges that some of his classmates are always on their phones. “But technology is everywhere, so instead of a ban, there should be limited exposure. I enjoy a few social media platforms where I read about current affairs." (His father bookmarks interesting articles and social media posts.)

Fathima Asghar, a Bengaluru-based parenting consultant and founder of childcare organisation EvolveED, says keeping children off social media could be counterproductive for shy or anxious children. “Introverted or anxious children who rely on social media as a safe space to socialise might feel isolated. Also, children will find ways to bypass restrictions. The ban may drive children to other platforms, such as online gaming, which already has its own set of challenges," says Asghar.

Australia’s social media ban might just force people to consider their obsession with screens, make them focus on giving children more unstructured play time and helping them form stronger offline connections and family bonds.

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Shweta Sharan is a freelance journalist who lives in Mumbai.