UK, France mull social media bans for youth as debate rages<\/p>\n
Supporters of a ban warn that action needs to be taken to tackle deteriorating mental health among young people, but others say the evidence is inconclusive and want a more nuanced approach.<\/p>\n
Australia last month became the first nation to prohibit people under-16s from using immensely popular and profitable social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok and YouTube.<\/p>\n
France is currently debating bills for a similar ban for under-15s, including one championed by President Emmanuel Macron.<\/p>\n
The Guardian reported last week that Jonathan Haidt, an American psychologist and supporter of the Australian ban, had been asked to speak to UK government officials.<\/p>\n
Haidt argued in his bestselling 2024 book \u201cThe Anxious Generation\u201d that too much time looking at screens \u2014 particularly social media \u2014 was rewiring children\u2019s brains and \u201ccausing an epidemic of mental illness\u201d.<\/p>\n
While influential among politicians, the book has proven controversial in academic circles.<\/p>\n
Canadian psychologist Candice Odgers wrote in a review of the book that the \u201cscary story\u201d Haidt was telling was \u201cnot supported by science\u201d.<\/p>\n
One of the main areas of disagreement has been determining exactly how much effect using social media has on young people\u2019s mental health.<\/p>\n
Michael Noetel, a researcher at the University of Queensland in Australia, told AFP that \u201csmall effects across billions of users add up\u201d.<\/p>\n
There is \u201cplenty of evidence\u201d that social media does harm to teens, he said, adding that some were demanding an unrealistic level of proof.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy read is that Haidt is more right than his harshest critics admit, and less right than his book implies,\u201d Noetel said.<\/p>\n
Given the potential benefit of a ban, he considered it \u201ca bet worth making\u201d.<\/p>\n
After reviewing the evidence, France\u2019s public health watchdog ANSES ruled last week that social media had numerous detrimental effects for adolescents \u2014 particularly girls \u2014 while not being the sole reason for their declining mental health.<\/p>\n
Everything in moderation?<\/p>\n
Noetel led research published in Psychological Bulletin last year that reviewed more than 100 studies worldwide on the links between screens and the psychological and emotional problems suffered by children and adolescents.<\/p>\n
The findings suggested a vicious cycle.<\/p>\n
Excessive screen time \u2014 particularly using social media and playing video games \u2014 was associated with problems. This distress then drove youngsters to look at their screens even more.<\/p>\n
However, other researchers are wary of a blanket ban.<\/p>\n
Ben Singh from the University of Adelaide tracked more than 100,000 young Australians over three years for a study published in JAMA Pediatrics.<\/p>\n
The study found that the young people with the worst wellbeing were those who used social media heavily \u2014 more than two hours a day \u2014 or not at all. It was teens who used social networks moderately that fared the best.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe findings suggest that both excessive restriction and excessive use can be problematic,\u201d Singh told AFP.<\/p>\n
Again, girls suffered the most from excessive use. Being entirely deprived of social media was found to be most detrimental for boys in their later teens.<\/p>\n
\u2018Appallingly toxic\u2019<\/p>\n
French psychiatrist Serge Tisseron is among those who have long warned about the huge threat that screens pose to health.<\/p>\n
\u201cSocial media is appallingly toxic,\u201d he told AFP.<\/p>\n
But he feared a ban would easily be overcome by tech-savvy teens, at the same time absolving parents of responsibility.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn recent years, the debate has become extremely polarised between an outright ban or nothing at all,\u201d he said, calling for regulation that walks a finer line.<\/p>\n
Another option could be to wait and see how the Australian experiment pans out.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithin a year, we should know much more about how effective the Australian social media ban has been and whether it led to any unintended consequences,\u201d Cambridge University researcher Amy Orben said.<\/p>\n
Last week, Australia\u2019s online safety watchdog said that tech companies have already blocked 4.7 million accounts for under 16s.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"