Banning social media for teens: solution or overreaction?

On a typical school day, young people spend an average of 4.5 hours online on screens and more than 6 hours at weekends, according to newly published

EU data .

In addition, it showed that nearly 14% of teenagers in the European Union, or one in seven, say they spend at least 8 hours or more on screens  — a figure that rises to more than ten hours a day on Saturday and Sunday.

When asked about the impact that screen time has on their lives, 40% of adolescents surveyed said it was positive, while only 29% spoke of negative effects. Around half of 13 to 18-year-olds feel optimistic about the effects of social media, with 48% saying social media has a positive impact on their mental health.

But, at the same time, nearly every one in three adolescents reported feeling sad, stressed or socially excluded because of social media. Around 40% said they had difficulty concentrating or had trouble falling asleep.

The survey backed up widespread concerns about young people being exposed to harmful content via these channels. More than a third of European teens reported seeing false or misleading information on social media, while a quarter reported encountering hate speech and almost one in five had seen unwanted violent content.

Screen time is not the same as social media use

However, Tanya Notley, professor at Western Sydney University and an expert on digital media literacy, sounded a warning against making an automatic link between social media and worsening wellbeing in young people.

"None of the research in this survey shows a link between mental health and social media. I think it's much, much more nuanced than that," she told DW.

Notley said policy-makers should differentiate between how young people feel about spending time on screens and how they feel about social media.

"When we talk about screen time, it's so broad. We're talking about their time on television but also about all the time they're doing homework," she said. "Looking at social media use is more useful."

When it comes to how to tackle teenagers' exposure to social media, among those surveyed by the poll, nearly half urged social media platforms to improve implementation of existing rules, while 44% said more social-media education was needed.

In total, almost half of the young people consulted said they think additional restrictions and age limits should be introduced.

EU-wide social media ban for kids?

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Rising support for social media bans

Among those pressing for legal limits is  former clinical psychologist Susie Davies, a founder of the UK-based charity PAPAYA (Parents Against Phone Addiction in Young Adolescents)Susie Davies, a founder of the UK-based charity PAPAYA (Parents Against Phone Addiction in Young Adolescents). She said she was worried about the mental-health impacts and called for a ban for those under 16.

"Modern platforms are designed to tap into our dopamine reward pathways," she said. "That makes us all vulnerable to overconsumption and compulsive use."

A social media ban is a "necessary response to the realities of the modern digital world," she said. "Adolescents are particularly vulnerable because the prefrontal cortex—the part of the brain responsible for decision-making, impulse control and emotional regulation — is still under construction and continues developing well into early adulthood."

Earlier in June the UK announced that adolescents under 16 across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will be banned from social media from Spring 2027. It followed Australia, the frontrunner, where a total ban for minors accessing social media platforms came into force last December. Among many others, Norway and Canada are working on bans.

Even though the EU has some of the most robust digital regulations in the world, including imposing content moderation obligations on platforms through its Digital Services Act and Digital Fairness Act, some member states are demanding more.

France, Spain, Greece, Austria and Denmark are exploring introducing a social media ban on a national level and also want it to be implemented across the bloc.

Social media bans: What it means for you

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In Germany, the most recent report from a government-appointed commission recommended a total ban for under 13s, arguing that Europe should move ahead with such a restriction.

Amid rising calls for action, the Commission has formed an independent panel on online child safety . It will deliver its findings in mid July and then the Commission will decide on how to proceed. Analysts say an under 16s social media ban is firmly on the table.

Could bans backfire?

The President of the European Youth Forum Rares Voicu, however, is skeptical about imposing blanket bans.

"This impulse to ban is very simplistic and doesn’t really address the complexity of the issue of social media use for children, adolescents or young people in general," he told DW.

"Social media has become a fundamental part of our lives, and for young people, the online space tends to be where they get their news and where they socialize with friends and so on," he said.

Nandi Vijayakumar, a research fellow at Deakin University in Victoria, Australia, who recently co-authored a report on social media and adolescent mental health, also pointed out the benefits of social media.

"So much today is happening online, and we know it really helps young people to develop their own sense of identity, friendships and stay connected with their friends. Some young people can find communities online that they might not have easy access to offline."

Voicu from the European Youth Forum thinks it is important to look at the consequences banning social media would have on the under 16s: "What are they going to do instead of spending time on social media? There would need to be new kinds of activities that foster the same sense of community that social media do."

Pros and cons of a social media ban for children

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Calls to ban social media access for those under 16 has gained prevalence in countries, especially after Australia imposed its ban. However, Professor Tanya Notley from Western Sydney University argued it is too early to assume the Australian experiment has been a success: "It's a high risk policy and is not based on strong evidence."

Rather than just following suit, Notley said nations should try pilot initiatives, evaluate existing regulations and focus on improving digital media literacy.

She also said the first research on whether or not Australia's social media ban is having a measurable impact on young people's mental health, wellbeing and safety to start will come out later this year: "I would strongly advise governments to pause and wait and have a look at that research," she said, adding that the policy shift has "massive repercussions for young people."

Edited by: Jess Smee