Social media is a valuable tool when used correctly. It can unite, encourage, inform and educate. Then there are the pitfalls of social media—addiction, mental health impacts, bullying and other dangers. In our digital age, social media use is the norm; however, its use among children remains controversial. Its competing outcomes have gained steady traction in the media recently with social media bans for children being implemented and investigated. Australia and Florida have both passed laws on age restrictions for social media use, Quebec is considering a ban, and 12 Ontario school boards and two private schools are suing social media giants.

Considerations

In 2015, researchers from the Alberta Teachers’ Association along with the University of Alberta, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School explored technology use in an initiative called Growing Up Digital Alberta. At the time, 67 per cent of Alberta teachers surveyed agreed digital technology was a distraction in learning environments. Now, ten years later, cell phones are banned in classrooms around the province, but social media use outside schools is rampant.

Social media’s negative impact on mental health is often cited as the driving force behind the bans. Advocates in favour of restricting social media for children argue it affects their quality of sleep and ability to concentrate and learn. Another study by Keles, McCrae and Grealish (2019) links the use of social media with an increased risk of depression, anxiety and psychological distress in adolescents.

Yet youth who flock to these platforms will also find a distinct positive: a sense of community. Social media provides the means for connecting people, including marginalized groups like racial minorities and 2SLGBTQI+ communities. The sites can offer solace to otherwise isolated kids and teens.

In a 2024 interview with NPR, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, says her country’s decision to ban social media for children under 16 is not about cutting off community, it’s about removing “addictive design features” and “dark patterns” that come from social media. She reasons that social media can be a healthier place if safeguards are put in place.

Digital literacy

Inman Grant likens approaching digital safety to water safety. She notes that it’s the law (in Australia) to have all pools fenced and since you can’t fence the ocean, kids are taught to swim at a very young age to prevent drownings.

“We teach them to swim between the flags,” she explains. “We have lifeguards. We have shark nets where we know there are predators and we teach them about rip [tides].” The commissioner says we must use the same approach with digital literacy.

MediaSmarts, Canada’s centre for digital media literacy, champions teaching the skills needed to navigate our online world. The organization offers free resources for parents and teachers, including how to evaluate the benefits versus risks of being online and how to balance the use of technology.

We can’t eliminate the dangers of social media and the online world, so guiding kids’ use must be a priority. If, or when, social media bans are put in place, it is still our duty to position social media as a tool instead of simply branding it a threat.

References

Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA). 2015. “Growing Up Digital Alberta.” ATA website.

ATA - Growing Up Digital (GUD) Alberta.

Allyn, B. 2024. “How will Australia's under-16 social media ban work? We asked the law's enforcer.” National Public Radio, December 19.

Keles, B., McCrae N. and Grealish A. 2019. “A Systematic Review: The Influence of Social Media on Depression, Anxiety and Psychological Distress in Adolescents.” International Journal of Adolescence and Youth 25(1): 79–93. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2019.1590851.