Protecting Adolescents from the Risks of Social Media: Is a Ban the Solution?

By Vincent Paquin

Teenagers’ engagement with social media continues to generate concerns for the impact it has on their well-being. With parents and teachers struggling to monitor how teens interact with social media, the pressure is increasing on governments to act. But is an age ban the solution?

Australia recently implemented its 16-year age limit for social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Although other countries have examined similar measures, Australia is the first to take direct action. It might be tempting for Canada to follow Australia’s example, but it’s not clear that such a law is the best approach.

The hope is that an age ban on social media will protect teens by helping them reduce their screen time, potentially creating more opportunities for sleep, schoolwork, physical activity, and face-to-face social interactions instead. Limiting access to social media could also protect teens from negative social comparisons, polarized political debates, cyberbullying, and other harmful contents.

Certainly, these are aspects of social media that can be detrimental to the well-being of young people. However, social media is not only a source of harm.

It also allows friends to stay in touch, exchange funny and interesting content, and support each other in times of need. Some adolescents use it to express their creativity through videos, artwork, and music. Others go online to meet peers with similar interests.

Not all young people experience social media the same way. For those from marginalized groups such as LGBTQ+ communities and newcomers, social media is especially helpful for accessing information, connecting with peers who’ve had similar experiences, and receiving support. It provides an outlet for young people to express their identity in ways that may not be possible or safe in their offline world.

A universal ban on social media for under-16s risks causing disproportionate harms for those youth who benefit most from it.

Another issue is that young people will find ways of bypassing age limits. They may show fake pictures or IDs to access their favourite websites—or simply turn to lesser-known, less secure platforms that have not yet conformed to the law. In addition, teens may become more reluctant to discuss their Internet use with adults due to the fear of being blamed for breaking the law. They may hesitate to seek help when they run into problematic or harmful situations online.

There are other ways to protect kids in the online world. We can require social media companies to better regulate inappropriate content on their platforms and help users control their screen time. We can invest in digital skills education. And we can support families to have more open conversations about the online world.

Teens’ online safety should be a priority, but an age ban may cause more harm than good. It robs teens of opportunities to learn, develop, and thrive as future adults in the digital age.

Vincent Paquin

Vincent Paquin, MD, is a psychiatrist and researcher at McGill University in Montreal. He studies the impacts of digital culture on youth mental health and how to improve clinical interventions for young people in the digital age.