Governments in over a dozen countries, including France, New Zealand, Norway, Malaysia, Slovenia, Spain, and the United Kingdom, with Germany also considering action, are moving to restrict minors' access to social media platforms. Australia became the first country globally to introduce social media bans for users under 16 in late 2025, followed by Indonesia implementing age limits in late March. The stated aim of such legislation is to protect young people, a logical step given that high screen time among children often triggers family conflicts. According to a 2025 study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), half of all 15-year-olds in OECD countries spend at least 30 hours weekly on digital devices.

Despite these efforts, experts question whether age limits are the optimal solution to mitigate social media's negative impacts. Psychologist and neuroscientist Christian Montag argues the debate misses the point, stating that moral panic quickly follows new technologies. The professor of cognitive and brain sciences at China's University of Macau notes that while politicians have genuine concerns, calling for a social media ban is an easy way to elevate visibility without substantive action. Educational researcher Nina Kolleck also views the debate skeptically, pointing out that Australia has shown implementing age limits is challenging, and fundamental issues with social media remain unresolved, with only the minimum age for access slightly raised.

The core problems stem from potentially addictive personalized algorithms and design gimmicks like push notifications and endless scrolling, engineered to maximize user engagement. Once on a platform, users may encounter violent or sexual content. Although digital media enable children and youth to inform themselves, play, and socialize, the OECD study indicates excessive use can lead to negative outcomes, ranging from physical issues like sleeplessness and inactivity to cyberbullying, social isolation, and depression.

Montag emphasizes the difficulty in isolating social media's exact effects due to confounding factors like environment and genetics. However, the link between excessive or addictive smartphone use and poor academic performance is relatively well-documented, as is body dysmorphia among social media users. He highlights that children and teens are particularly vulnerable, as the human brain requires prolonged development, with the prefrontal cortex not fully mature until age 20 or even the mid-20s, making self-regulation harder for minors.

Experts advocate for broadening the debate, with many seeing age restrictions as just one of several necessary measures. Kolleck describes it as a "pseudo-debate that distracts from truly effective instruments," noting that numerous effective measures are embedded in the European Union's Digital Services Act (DSA). The DSA mandates large online platforms and search engines to enhance user protections, requiring TikTok, Instagram, and others to systematically assess and mitigate risks while ensuring algorithmic transparency. Yet, Montag criticizes that access to data for independent researchers remains "completely insufficient" despite the DSA's introduction, hampering effective monitoring.

Alternative approaches include toning down design features for underage users; for instance, Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, offers an under-14 app version limiting scrolling to 40 minutes. While TikTok has existing time limits, they are easily bypassed. Montag contends that platforms need fundamental redesign, especially for children but also adults, suggesting that the data-driven business model, which spies on users and maximizes online time, is inherently unhealthy. He proposes alternative financing models, such as subscriptions, and notes that if platforms are no longer built to keep users glued to screens, they would become "a lot more boring."

Source: www.dw.com