The UK has joined the countries discussing a ban or strict restrictions on teenagers' access to social media. Similar measures are being discussed in France, Spain, Austria, Greece, and Denmark. Arguments include the dangers of cyberbullying, the addictive design of platforms, and even the risk of suicide, writes Euronews.
According to data from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study, supported by WHO, the proportion of adolescents experiencing problems with social media increased from 7% in 2018 to 11% in 2022.
Problematic social media use was defined using a behavioral scale measuring symptoms such as inability to reduce screen time, neglecting other activities, and experiencing conflicts or negative consequences due to time spent online.
According to 15-year-olds surveyed, teenagers in Romania, Ireland, and Malta face the most problems with social media. The fewest problems are found in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Estonia.
In all countries participating in the study, girls faced more risks when using social media than boys.
This gap is particularly noticeable in Romania, where 28% of 15-year-old girls reported problematic use, compared to 18% of boys. In Ireland, these figures were 25% and 13%, respectively.
Girls also more frequently reported communicating with friends online around the clock: 44% of 15-year-old girls reported this, compared to 29% of boys.
Several studies have shown that teenage girls experience stronger pressure related to appearance and body dissatisfaction on social media than boys, and also slightly more often report encountering cyberbullying.
While governments discuss possible restrictions, political support for measures to limit children's access to applications remains high.
According to a YouGov poll published in April, 79% of French residents supported a ban on social media for minors under 16. In the UK, this figure is 76%, in Germany 74%, and in Italy 70%. The majority also favored restrictions in Spain (68%) and Poland (53%).
Parents in the UK, Italy, and Spain were particularly active in supporting bans and restrictions: 79% of respondents with children advocated for such measures.
Authorities are listening to this political demand. The French National Assembly has already approved a law restricting access to social media for children under 15, and in Spain, it has been proposed to raise the minimum age for social media access to 16.
Many initiatives being discussed across Europe involve implementing effective age verification systems and may face legal and practical obstacles within pan-European rules, under which national governments cannot suddenly oblige applications like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat to block all users under 16.
And while support for bans is high, evidence of their effectiveness is very limited—primarily because there are very few long-term cases that allow researchers to fully assess the impact of such measures on children's well-being.
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