🤳Phones down, loopholes out. A little under two months ago, Australia became the first country to implement a complete ban on social media usage for children under the age of 16. Over 1 mn accounts on popular platforms such as X, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, and Reddit, among others, were blocked overnight. Failure to comply? Fines of up to USD 33 mn.

A study the Australian government had commissioned prior to the ban deduced that seven out of 10 social media users aged 10-15 had been exposed to harmful material online ; violence, grooming, bullying, pornographic material, eating disorder-inducing material, and more of the like. It seemed only logical, then, to move forward with the bill — and so they did. The move then triggered a ripple effect…

Countries including France and the United Kingdom began mulling the idea over. French lawmakers voted to ban social media use by children under 15 this week, and the UK’s House of Lords also backed a move to ban under-16s in the UK from social media usage last week.

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Now, Egypt is considering following in Australia’s footsteps. Earlier this week, EnterpriseAM reported that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi has urged lawmakers “to restrict mobile phone access for young age groups” during his Police Day address, despite senior government officials previously telling us that no such legislation was in the works. Whether or not the government would see the move through remains a matter of question — the potential implications even more so.

The move in Australia has naturally faced resistance — from adolescents and tech conglomerates alike. A year before being enacted, human rights organizations including Unicef expressed concern, claiming that while indeed children’s online safety was of paramount importance, “raising the age of social media is almost punishing young people for the failure of tech companies to build their platforms more responsibly,” Head of Policy and Advocacy at Unicef Australia Katie Maskiell said at the time.

While some teens have expressed feelings of freedom, disconnection, and mental recalibration, others were not so easily willing to let go. Apps that were not included in the ban, such as Discord, saw a noticeable surge in downloads in the days prior and following. Through virtual private networks, false credentials, and biometric trickery, some teens still found a way.

So, would a social media ban work in Egypt? There’s no clear-cut answer. “A ban like that could help with reducing problematic use — address things related to anxiety, depression, and body image that are linked to heavy social media exposure,” Counseling Psychotherapist Khaled Salaheldin (LinkedIn) tells EnterpriseAM. “It would help in a way, but given how teenagers are, I do believe a ban like that would backfire; it will reduce the exposure, sure, but it won’t prevent access,” he adds.

“This kind of ban can also increase isolation; this is how people are connected these days,” particularly for youth belonging to marginalized groups, for whom community is often found in the confines of digital spaces, Salaheldin says.

In Egypt, the majority of the population is already struggling with digital literacy, and restricting access at such a pivotal age would only add fuel to the fire. “You [would] take [away] the [chance] for children to develop their digital literacy,” Salaheldin notes. “Think about it this way: this is a technologically advanced world, so you’re robbing the kids of these skills that they can use by the time they’re 16. If they’re still going to learn how to use certain technology starting at 16, then they’re already at a disadvantage,” he tells us.

The fix? “It’s not about banning something.” Increasing awareness through public health campaigns might just be the better option; deploying safe-use campaigns, fostering third spaces for youth to connect, and prioritizing digital literacy in educational curricula, among other measures, all need to precede a ban, according to Salaheldin.