Bans are problematic
Recent debates in media and politics have highlighted bans as a policy tool for ensuring children's safety in the digital world. However, research suggests that outright bans may worsen matters rather than solving them. While some policymakers and advocacy groups propose restricting children's access to digital platforms, such measures may fail to address the root causes of online risks and could create unintended negative consequences.
For over two decades, the digital world has been an integral part of childhood. Social media, mobile phones, and other digital technologies provide children with opportunities to learn, connect, and express themselves. Studies show that these platforms allow children to acquire essential skills, interact with peers, and access vital information.
While digital spaces pose risks, banning children from them outright does not inherently improve safety—instead, it may push them toward unregulated, less protective spaces where they have even fewer safeguards.
Alternatives to bans
Children are diverse, with different ages, needs and circumstances. Their right to participate in and benefit from the digital world should be balanced with effective protection measures rather than eliminated through blanket restrictions. As active participants and rights-holders, children seek both protection and inclusion in the digital environment. When society restricts children’s freedoms in their best interests, the goals should be clearly stated, the means should be proportionate, and the measures should be effective, transparent and evidence-based, and not unduly restrictive.
Children wish to be included in, not banned from, the digital world¾a world which society increasingly relies on and adults enjoy. Children want to be educated about and protected in the digital environment so they can safely engage and express themselves.
Implementing bans against screen time, smartphones, or social media without consulting children violates UNCRC Article 12, which recognises children's right to be heard in decisions that affect them. While younger children or vulnerable groups may require tailored protections, broad, one-size-fits-all restrictions risk undermining children's autonomy and agency.
Rather than resorting to bans or hoping for one-size-fits-all solutions, we urge policymakers to invest in developing strong—and strongly enforced—regulatory frameworks that require digital platforms to maintain high safety standards, such as Australia’s safety-by-design or Europe’s development of age-appropriate standards.
Shared responsibility
Governments, regulators, and industry must take responsibility for online safety, rather than placing undue burdens on children, parents, or caregivers. Digital platforms and regulators should anticipate and address children’s needs and rights fairly and inclusively, rather than relying on parents and teachers to navigate complex safety challenges alone. Regulation is vital to ensure that tech companies act responsibly.
Alongside regulatory action, strong educational initiatives must complement digital safety efforts. These should include:
- Digital literacy programs for children, parents, educators, and professionals who support young people.
- Guidance for policymakers on how to craft evidence-based, effective interventions.
- Proactive enforcement of safety standards, ensuring platforms meet child-friendly design requirements.
Scientific evidence vs. simplistic narratives
Policy decisions must be based on scientific evidence rather than media myths, public anxieties, or political grandstanding. While concerns about social media and mental health are valid, there is no scientific consensus that social media causes mental health disorders. Meta-analyses reveal inconsistencies, with some studies finding benefits, others noting risks, and many showing no significant effects.
That said, some adolescents—especially those already vulnerable to mental health issues—may experience negative effects from excessive social media or gaming. Research designed to identify causality suggests that digital media can contribute to mental health struggles for some young people, while digital media use has a positive effect for other young people. This complexity highlights the need for targeted interventions rather than broad bans, and the need for rigorous, nuanced research rather than simplistic narratives which may fail to address underlying issues like social isolation, cyberbullying, or algorithmic manipulation.
While some research designed to identify causality indeed suggests that digital media use can adversely affect some adolescents’ mental health, necessitating policy intervention, bans are not the answer, and other notable factors also play a role, especially over the longer term.
To ensure sound policymaking, governments should invest in evidence-based, problem-specific interventions, developed in consultation with children rather than imposed on them, and independently evaluated for effectiveness through rigorous, nuanced research. Currently, many restrictions on children's online engagement lack such evidence-based scrutiny.
Respecting children’s rights in the digital world
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child emphasises that children’s rights should be fully realised in digital environments. The UN has recognised this in its Global Digital Compact. European Union strategy is putting this into practice, as are actions underway in many countries.
To effectively protect children in the digital age, multiple coordinated strategies are urgently needed. Blanket bans, however, ignore children’s voices, undermine their rights, and fail to provide the protection they need when they do go online. Instead, well-regulated, evidence-based solutions that balance protection with inclusion offer a more sustainable way forward.
By adopting a rights-based, safety-by-design approach, we can create a digital world where children thrive, rather than being excluded.
Exclusion does not equal protection
A safer internet is possible—without undermining children's rights in the process. Instead of banning children from digital spaces, we should:
- Strengthen regulations that ensure platforms design safer online environments.
- Promote digital literacy among children, parents, and educators.
- Encourage evidence-based policies rather than blanket bans.
- Respect children’s rights by consulting them on decisions that affect their online participation.