Should Social Media Be Restricted to Users Over a Certain Age?

You probably use one or more social media platforms in your day to day live to keep up with friends, follow trends, and even to get news but, as social media's impact increases, so does the discussion about who is permitted to use them.

How might age restrictions affect young people and the wider public if they were imposed on social media platforms? Most social media sites already have minimum age restrictions, as you may have noticed, but many claim that they aren't sufficiently enforced.

The Case for Stricter Age Restrictions

A 2024 American Psychological Association report states that children and teenagers may suffer really negative effects from social media use. According to research, young people who use social media for longer than three hours a day and no supervision are more likely to experience mental health problems, including loneliness, depression, and anxiety.

The problem is not just the screen time, though. Social media can also expose our children to harmful content. From cyberbullying to explicit content, young users frequently encounter situations for which they lack the emotional maturity.

According to a report by the tech nonprofit Thorn, a lot of children and teenagers get approached online by predators every day and social media platforms are frequently the first place where these interactions take place.

The Role of Brain Development

Young users are more vulnerable to get addictive to social media and this is because the brain finishes developing and maturing between the ages of 25 and 30, especially the areas that are involved in impulse control and decision-making, particularly the younger generations whom find it easy to lose hours on their phones.

Jean Twenge claims that children who use social media frequently are more likely to get a dopamine rush, which can lead to compulsive behavior.

Privacy Concerns

Let’s face it, social media companies collect a lot of data about their users, and young people are often unaware of the full scope of it. As soon as you log in you are giving permission for data collection about almost everything from your location to your browsing preferences.

This data may even be sold to outside parties in specific circumstances and children and teenagers are less likely to take the appropriate precautions to protect their privacy and understand how their data is being used.

Restricting access to social media platforms could potentially protect people who might not be as conscious of the dangers associated with sharing personal information.

What About Education and Social Development?

While there are strong arguments for limiting social media access to older users, there’s another side to consider. In today’s world, social media isn’t just for entertainment—it’s also a valuable educational tool.

Platforms like YouTube, for example, offer a wealth of educational content that younger users can access to help with schoolwork or explore new interests. You might remember watching a tutorial or documentary that helped you better understand a subject. Limiting access to social media could cut younger users off from these valuable resources.

There’s also the argument that social media helps young people develop social skills. While face-to-face interactions are important, you can’t deny that online communication is a big part of how people stay in touch these days. For younger users, learning how to navigate social media responsibly can be a vital skill in the digital age.

Amanda Lenhart, a former researcher at the Pew Research Center, argued that social media can be a place where young people develop their social identity and learn how to engage with others in a modern context.

Should Parents Be Responsible?

Some people say that instead of increasing age restrictions, it’s the job of parents to monitor their child’s social media use. Many social media platforms already have parental control options that allow you to limit what your child can see or how much time they can spend online.

If parents were more involved in regulating their kids’ social media activity, the argument goes, there might not be a need for stricter age requirements.

On the other hand, you might wonder how realistic this is. Parents can’t monitor their kids every second of the day, and many young people are tech-savvy enough to find ways around parental controls. Plus, peer pressure is a huge factor. If all your friends are on Instagram or Snapchat, it’s tough to be the one who isn’t.

By setting stricter age limits, social media companies could take some of the pressure off parents and put the responsibility back on the platforms themselves.

The Problem With Enforcement

Even if stricter age limits are put in place, how effective would they actually be? Let’s be real—kids are smart. Many know how to lie about their age or create fake accounts to get around existing age restrictions. Facebook, for example, has an age limit of 13, but studies show that millions of users under that age are still on the platform. According to The Guardian, up to 20 million underage children are believed to be using Facebook, despite its age policies .

To enforce stricter age limits, social media companies would need to introduce more advanced age verification methods. This could mean requiring a government ID or some other form of identification to sign up. While this might sound like a simple solution, it comes with privacy concerns.

People are already wary of how much data social media platforms collect, so asking users to submit even more personal information could be met with resistance. Plus, this approach wouldn’t stop younger users from using their parents' or older siblings' accounts to get around the rules.

Finding a Middle Ground

So, where do we go from here? Instead of focusing solely on stricter age limits, perhaps a better approach would be to make social media safer for younger users. Some platforms have already started implementing changes to protect younger users. For example, Instagram now limits how adults can interact with teenagers they don’t know and also makes accounts for users under 16 private by default .

There’s also been a push for more digital literacy education in schools. Teaching kids about the potential dangers of social media, as well as how to protect their privacy and mental health, might be a more effective long-term solution than simply raising the age limit. If young people are taught how to use social media responsibly, they might be better prepared to navigate the digital world, even if they start using these platforms at a younger age.

The question of whether social media should be restricted to users over a certain age is complicated. On one hand, it makes sense to limit younger users' exposure to potentially harmful content, protect their privacy, and reduce the risk of mental health issues. On the other hand, social media offers valuable educational opportunities and helps young people develop important social skills.

At the end of the day, it might not be about choosing one extreme or the other. Instead, a balanced approach that combines stricter platform regulations, parental involvement, and better digital education could be the most effective way to ensure young people can enjoy social media safely.