Social media has proven itself to be a new challenge in modern day parenting. It’s addictive, it’s accessible, and it’s everybody’s playground, one that’s not just for children.

The growing concern for childhood development in an era where the internet is now intertwined with daily life is reflected in the fact that countries across the world are discussing a ban or, at the very least, stricter regulations of the use of social media for minors following the lead of Australia’s social media ban for minors under the age of sixteen last December 2025. Among such countries in the EU are Norway, Greece, Denmark, the Netherlands, France, Italy, the UK, Portugal, and Spain. These concerns are not at all unfounded. After all, it has long since been established that social media is a breeding ground for bullying and mental health problems. Furthermore, social media has been developed to be extremely addictive over the years, and, though that may not have been its initial intention, its drawback today is crystal clear.

Nobody could have predicted the systems behind social media platforms, nor of its prevalence even just a few decades ago. However, because it is such a modern problem, it is easy to shrug off the blame and let it solely fall unto these platforms rather than for parents to establish proper boundaries and have conversations with their children. There is no denying that they are a problem, but it is the responsibility of parents to have open discussions with their children when it comes to a nuanced topic that is relevant to their futures instead of sheltering them. Education always trumps restriction.

If such bans and regulations do push through, these children will mature into adults, and what then? They will be exposed to unwanted and unsavoury topics and visuals due to lack of knowledge. On the other hand, who’s to say that they won’t go against the restrictions placed onto them in the first place? We were all children ourselves, and we know curiosity multiplies tenfold when we are not given access to something that is meant to be forbidden. If there is a regulation and/or ban, there is always a way to bypass it, and this is seen not just over the internet, but with illegal happenings everywhere.

The big part of the appeal of social media is that you can see other people’s lives and think “That could be me!”. At its core, it is the lack of opportunity to live one’s life that causes people to live through others on social media. Parents have the option to guide and introduce their children into trying all sorts of activities and hobbies, something they could be passionate about, and in this era where we are riddled with all sorts of tech-related problems, maybe we are being called to fall back in love with life once more and have experiences without a filter and without a screen.

Text: Adelaida Seastres
Image: Tatiana Syrikova via Pexels