Teenagers vs. Social Media Bans

As a mother of three screen addicts, I was very happy when Australia rolled out its social media ban for users under 16. In fact, I was so excited that I started a “Take Back Control” WhatsApp group with parents of my kids’ friends, lobbying them to coordinate our own social media ban. (My kids were mortified.)

My experiment failed. And Australia’s isn’t going great, either. As concern about children’s use of social media grows and more countries mull their own restrictions — Britain and Canada were the latest to announce bans — their effectiveness is in question. Today, my colleague Victoria Kim in Australia reports from the front line of social media regulation.

Teens outsmart Australia’s social media ban

by Victoria Kim

Over the past six months, the government of Australia has learned what most parents already know — it’s tough getting between teenagers and anything they desperately want.

In December, Australia became the first country to ban children under 16 from some of the world’s most popular social media apps. Governments, researchers and — perhaps most of all — concerned parents around the globe have been watching the experiment with keen interest. The effects of social media on developing brains have become a major concern for parents and educators worldwide. A number of other countries are following Australia’s lead.

Six months in, though, the law is far from a resounding success. It’s still early. But about seven in 10 parents say teens aged 13 to 15 who were on the social media platforms before the ban were either never kicked off or managed to create new accounts, according to the Australian regulator in charge of implementing the law. Teenagers talk cavalierly about how easily they’ve been able to get around age prompts. (One method: Drawing mustaches on their faces for age verification photos.)

Those who seem most crestfallen are the parents who, by their own accounts, were the “evil nasty mom” or the “psycho mom” — the strict ones who locked up phones overnight, or who took them away after school. Many of these parents told me they’d hoped the ban would ease some of the peer pressure their children feel to be on these apps by ensuring their friends weren’t on them either.

But little seems to have changed. “The kids all laugh about it, ‘What a joke, we haven’t been taken off anything,’” Lauren Hillier, 42, told me. Her 13-year-old son is still on Instagram, her 15-year-old stepdaughter is still on Snapchat and Lauren is still stuck being the bad guy.

The law versus determined teens

Australia’s law was supposed to turn the whole country into an alliance, Dany Elachi, a father of five in Sydney, told me. Parents who wanted to hold off on giving their children phones could find strength in numbers.

But the technological barriers put up by platforms like TikTok and YouTube — which are supposed to verify users’ ages, under the law — have been far from foolproof. The result is that the law hasn’t changed the behavior of enough teens to reach a critical mass, and the overwhelming, timeless teenage desire to do what their friends are doing continues to keep young people hooked on the various apps from which they’ve supposedly been banned.

Parents say they suspect the companies have the technological prowess to do much more, but are choosing not to. Australia’s regulator in charge of implementing the law says it has opened investigations into Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube — five of the 10 services covered by the new regulations — and that it will decide on enforcement actions soon. Under the law, companies can face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars, or about $35 million, for not doing enough to bar users under 16 from holding accounts.

Still, Elachi, who founded a group called the Heads Up Alliance for parents who want to keep their children off smartphones, told me it’s become clear that the law is just “one piece of the puzzle to keep the next generation of kids from addiction.” Parents, for now at least, still have to be the gatekeepers.

Hope for the younger ones?

Despite a lackluster start, some parents are holding out hope that the law’s real benefits will be for kids who are younger than the current batch of 13- to 15-year-olds who have been the focal point of the ban’s rollout.

The next cohort could enter their teens with different legal and social norms around the appropriate age for social media use. And, over time, a sufficient number could come to eschew social media, like an earlier generation came to shun smoking — or, at least, that’s what some Australian parents are hoping.

For now, one mother with a 12-year-old told me the law had helped her hold the line in their household battle of wills, despite her son’s daily requests to download TikTok.

Another has even put up a financial reward: 2,000 Australian dollars, or about $1,400, if her 12-year-old can stay off social media until his 18th birthday. She’s also trying her hand at a bit of social engineering by attempting to nurture friendships with families that share similar values when it comes to smartphones, and by encouraging hobbies that don’t involve screens.

It’ll be a long few years ahead, but hopefully the law means it’ll become easier and easier for teens to eschew social media, another mother of two boys, Bec Barton, told me.

“Kids are going to come up in an environment where none of their friends have access to it,” she said. “It won’t be the norm anymore.”

Read my full story here.

Related: What to know about social media bans around the world.

MORE TOP NEWS

What’s in the Iran deal

A senior U.S. official disclosed the text of the preliminary agreement between the United States and Iran to cease hostilities, open the Strait of Hormuz and start nuclear talks. The official read the text out loud on a conference call with reporters.

The 14-point agreement that is expected to be signed in Switzerland on Friday says that Iran will not develop a nuclear weapon and calls for a $300 billion plan for Iran’s reconstruction. The U.S. and Iran declare the “immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon,” it says. Here’s what else is in the text.

At the Group of 7 summit in France, President Trump said the U.S. would sign the deal but he warned, “We’re going to bomb the hell out of them if they violate the agreement.”

Israel: The Channel 14 TV station, which supports Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is openly attacking Trump over the Iran deal.

OTHER NEWS

A special election in the north of England could bring Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, to Parliament, where he is expected to try to replace Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Finland voted to overturn a Cold War-era ban on nuclear weapons.
Western Europe is suffering a scorching heat wave, with temperatures expected to reach 45 degrees Celsius by the weekend.
Wall Street investors expect Elon Musk to merge SpaceX with Tesla, creating a roughly $4 trillion tech conglomerate.
Ukraine is using drones to attack Russian supply routes into Crimea, causing gasoline shortages.
The Japanese authorities raided the offices of six leading ice cream companies on suspicion that they were operating a cartel.

WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING

Hillary Clinton said Joe Biden’s presidential re-election bid had been a “terrible mistake.”
Norway’s crown princess has undergone a successful lung transplant.

TOP OF THE WORLD

The most clicked link in your newsletter yesterday was the cat that interrupted a ballet performance.

WORLD CUP

Congo’s return and England’s start

In its first return to the tournament since 1974, the Democratic Republic of Congo claimed a surprising 1-1 draw with Portugal and its first-ever World Cup goal. England faced off against Croatia. Follow our live updates.

A long time coming: Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal has never won a World Cup. Could this be the year?

Relive the moment: Watch Lionel Messi orchestrate the attack to complete his hat trick in Argentina’s 3-0 win over Algeria in this 3-D view of his third goal. He has now tied the World Cup scoring record of 16 goals.

QUESTION OF THE DAY

What is “Samjeonnix?”

A.I. has powered a lucrative chip boom in South Korea, inspiring a host of new slang phrases and memes. The chip windfall is talked about everywhere, from family dinners to smoke breaks to online gaming lobbies. Take our quiz and learn more about the country’s semiconductor mania.

MORNING READ

Mental illness can complicate one of life’s biggest decisions: whether to become a parent. The Times asked readers how their mental health had influenced their feelings about parenthood, and nearly 700 people wrote in.

Many said they were worried about the possibility of passing along a condition to a child or maintaining their own well-being amid the stresses of raising a family. Some were certain that they didn’t want to take the risks. Others explained why, in the end, parenthood felt like the right move. Read five stories about people who considered a leap of faith.

AROUND THE WORLD

The next buzzy destination

Central Asia has become a major draw for younger travelers looking for an affordable destination with fewer crowds and tourist traps. And no country in the region has received more attention than Uzbekistan.

Since the country’s longtime autocrat died in 2016, Uzbekistan has steadily opened itself up to foreign visitors. Samarkand features a dazzling array of art and architecture. In the ancient city of Khiva, bakers pull fragrant samsa pastries, stuffed with meat and pumpkin, from traditional tandoor ovens. Read more about the appeal of Uzbekistan.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Find love at the gym: My colleague Danielle Friedman reports on the boom in dating apps for fitness enthusiasts in the U.S.

Listen: The podcast “The Last 12 Weeks” follows a team of lawyers as they try to save the lives of clients on death row.

Watch: These are the best TV shows of the year so far.

Camouflage: Everything is hidden in these luxury kitchens — even the sink.

RECIPE

This chicken kebab recipe pairs chermoula, a herbaceous Moroccan marinade, with a shaved zucchini salad. A bit of honey helps the chicken caramelize beautifully, whether it’s cooked over barbecue coals or in the oven.