Minimum age for social media? A growing global debate

Teenagers today spend an average of five hours a day on social media, and many cannot imagine going through life without a cell phone . But if on one side are young people growing up in a world that's becoming more technologically advanced as we breathe, on the other are adults who are distressed by each new study that describes the negative effects of uncontrolled platform use, which exposes minors to bullying, stereotypes, and even hate speech and violence in general.

Concern about the relationship between adolescents and social media is not new, but in recent years, several countries have announced proposals and measures to address a problem that, they say, has gotten out of control.

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A September 2024 World Health Organization (WHO) report notes that problematic social media use among adolescents, associated with difficulties controlling their use and negative consequences, increased from 7 percent in 2018 to 11 percent in 2022. This increase implies “lower mental and social well-being.”

In the European Union, the debate has focused on whether to ban social media for minors at the European level, something the European Commission rejected a week ago, although it reiterated that each nation has the right to do so at the national level.

French President Emmanuel Macron has staunchly defended the urgency of banning access to social media for children under 15, which he accused of promoting violence. Spain, Greece, Denmark, the Netherlands, Slovakia, and other nations support this idea, while in Austria, the government announced this week that it is considering introducing mandatory identification for accessing social media.

When it comes to strict measures, Australia leads the way. Last November, the Oceanian nation became the first to ban access to social media for children under 16. Although the law will come into effect at the end of this year, Australia took the lead a few weeks ago with a study that demonstrated the technological feasibility of the law.

In this study, the Australian government found that social media user age verification systems operate "robustly and effectively," which was considered a significant step forward in implementing the ban on access to these platforms for children under 16.

This also presents another position in the face of the objections that social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, X or TikTok have had, which have said, for example, that it would be "problematic" to check the age of users.

The findings of the study, commissioned by the government from the independent firm Age Assurance Technology Trial, say that such “solutions are technically feasible, can be flexibly integrated into existing services, and can enhance children's safety and rights online,” project director Tony Allen said in a statement.

Although he himself, in an interview with the Nine Network, admitted that there will be a "huge challenge" in preventing children from cheating age verification tools.

Beyond the nuances, the constant concern for adolescents is to not ignore the negative consequences of social media. Is prohibition the way forward? Experts in pedagogy and information technology suggest otherwise, and instead advocate for regulations and a comprehensive approach.

Néstor Martos, professor and researcher at the Faculty of Communication at the University of Lima, maintained that he is in favor of establishing certain regulations, but they must be carefully formulated to avoid them becoming censorship or a tool that could be misused for other purposes . He also warns that one-size-fits-all regulations cannot be implemented.

“Each country, each region, has its own context. Ideally, the reality of each place where the regulations are to be applied should be assessed and the regulations should be drafted with great care. It's also vital to involve the companies behind these networks, civil society, and the state because, otherwise, it can appear to be an authoritarian approach, and that's not the way to go,” he said.

In this context, the urgency of discussing the necessary public policies that address the situation from several fronts becomes even more evident, as noted by Julio César Mateus, a researcher at the University of Lima and expert in education and communication.

“Placing responsibility at the user level is the easiest and least practical option. It's true, teenagers use cell phones, but if they weren't on their phones, where would they go? How many public spaces are there for kids to engage in sports activities? What kinds of offline experiences are we providing them or exist in the communities where we live? We need to talk about public policies that not only prohibit but also generate things, that formulate alternatives,” he noted.

The expert added that a complete ban would not be ideal: "Prohibition in any way is beneficial for adolescents because it is a time of identity building. Psychology tells us that prohibition generates the opposite result. However, prohibition is not bad per se, in the sense of generating regulations and rules at the pedagogical level. In other words, it is up to institutions and pedagogical experts to act accordingly, depending on each context."

Mateus urged us not to forget the role of platforms. “It's important to think, above all, about the responsibility of the platforms, which are not only aware of what they do, but also design their own platforms so that we spend more time on them.”

In recent years, measures to limit or ban cell phones in classrooms have also increased. A few months ago, France announced it will strengthen its ban on smartphone use in secondary schools by storing them in lockers or sealed bags. France claims that the cell phone ban—enforced by law since 2018—has yielded positive results, with students becoming more focused and creating a better learning environment.

Similar, albeit less stringent, measures are also being debated in Portugal, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. In Latin America, Brazil has imposed restrictions in schools, while in Peru, the government has just enacted Law 32385, which restricts cell phone use in primary and secondary school classrooms.

(*) With information from AFP.