When We Know Better, We MUST Do Better
Social Media and Children’s Mental Health
Australia is leading the way in banning social media for kids under 16. To gain access they are required to upload digital ID. My youngest son is a teacher there and I look forward to his insights.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐝𝐚? There is more and more indisputable research linking social media to severe challenges for our children and youth. (I am currently doing a literature review.) Let me site some.
𝗦𝗹𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗿𝘂𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝟮𝟰/𝟳 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 (late‑night scrolling, notifications) links heavy social media or screen time to depressive symptoms and suicidality.
𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳‑𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗺. Constant exposure to idealized images and peer feedback loops (likes, comments, follower counts) is associated with body dissatisfaction, low self‑esteem, and depressive mood, especially in early and mid‑adolescent girls.
𝗖𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗯𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘁. The shift from traditional bullying to cyberbullying means harassment can be continuous, public, and difficult to escape, and is strongly associated with nonsuicidal self‑injury, depression, suicidal ideation and suicide.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗯𝘆:
𝗔𝗻𝗼𝗻𝘆𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀. The easy creation of anonymous or fake profiles lets adults pose as peers, celebrities, or recruiters, making grooming and trust‑building feel low‑risk and low‑effort for offenders.
𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁. Direct messages, encrypted chats, and auto‑deleting photos give predators space to isolate children from watchful adults, escalate conversations, and move quickly to sexual content or requests for images.
𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗺𝘀. Once a child shares a compromising image or personal information, offenders can demand money, more explicit content, or access to bank and gift‑card details, turning emotional harm into financial exploitation.
We need legislation to put the legal responsibility on the companies to reduce children’s exposure to harmful content.
We need a ban on social media, following Australia's lead. Kids should not have access. Period.
When we know better, we 𝗠𝗨𝗦𝗧 𝗗𝗢 𝗕𝗘𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥!
