Why Banning Youth Social Media Misses the Real Algorithmic Harm

All of this is after seeing that Australia’s ban has shown little signs of success. Initial vetting is weak with the few teens who have been banned managing to work around it via new accounts and VPNs. This has led to social media usage among 10-to-15 year olds dropping from 86% to 81%. In the meantime, teenagers have become less likely to report when they come across something harmful. Predators have never had it easier? So why does the National Party look at that and decide they still want to go through the ban? Enough that they did not bother to consult with the youth most impacted by it?

Because they value teen wellbeing. Social media algorithms are simply too addictive nowadays. In the words of prime minister Christopher Luxon “We simply cannot accept the harm being done to a generation of New Zealand children.” The concern over this underrated issue would be laudable. But in light of how little youth consultation has been put into it and this eagerness to pass a blanket ban, it’s hard to take it in good faith. Especially when there are other alternatives worth exploring.

The most addictive part of any social media platform is easily the reels. Short-form content you can scroll through with ease. So many of us have started watching one only to find ourselves still watching them half an hour later. It’s like they want us to stay there. Probably because that’s the way they’re designed. Social media companies invest thousands of dollars to ensure we keep on scrolling. The problem becomes especially more egregious with youth. Research shows that companies expose youth-appearing to more polarising content because it gets us hooked. So why do we get the blame instead of the people who engineered it?

While these algorithms leave youth especially worse off, we aren’t the only demographic impacted. Many adults find themselves hooked onto social media as well. The problem is particularly concerning the elderly. Senior citizens who have huge amounts of free time on their hands and decide to spend it on their phones. These algorithms catch the attention of all age groups but it’s especially hooking for these people who frequently have fragmented attention spans. The problem tends to be less noticed because they don’t have as many people watching over their screen use. That doesn’t make it any less concerning. Especially when you consider how much these senior citizens stand to lose in savings. Punishing companies for harmful algorithms isn’t just about helping youth. We help everybody along the way.

This is by no means a perfect alternative but if the government’s main priority is youth wellbeing, they would be better off blocking reels and nothing else. Doomscrolling is a part of social media that most people feel unhappy about so they’d be happier to get off it compared to getting banned altogether. We might see less people going out of their way to bypass these restrictions. That way, we get to still keep the good parts of social media such as staying in touch with other people. There are already apps which are selling this premise to
customers. Surely the government could find a way to implement it. Not that this is the perfect solution. It might not work and there are still potential benefits we’re losing out on. Yet it would still be preferable to a Blanket Ban.

The last thing to remember is that if you want to get kids off social media, give them other things to do! Nobody wants doomscrolling to be their main hobby. We’d rather have meaningful activities, third spaces, and other things we can enjoy doing. But that requires meaningful investment. Ensuring that all these things aren’t shut behind a wealth barrier. It’s an investment which the government should consider making. Even if it just means putting instruments in the hands of students or more parks. Providing us with recreation so that our phones seem mundane in comparison.