"For some parents, social media sucks up their children's time and steals them away from family life, instilling mental health issues along the way. For others, it provides their children with an essential line to friends, family, connection and support. When Australia's social media ban came into effect on Wednesday, millions of under-16s lost access to their accounts and were prevented from creating new ones."
"Guardian Australia has spent the past year reporting on the ban, how it will be implemented and potential unintended consequences. But we wanted to know how it is affecting parents, children and families now it has come into effect. Is it a force for good or a terrible policy mistake? So we asked Guardian readers to tell us, and more than 100 of you replied. Here, 20 people share how the ban has affected them, their children and their families."
Australia implemented a social media ban preventing under-16s from accessing existing accounts or creating new ones, affecting millions of young people. Families report mixed outcomes: some children gained offline time, reduced screen use and behavioral improvements, while others experienced loss of social connection, peer support and increased isolation. Parents express concerns about unintended consequences for mental health, access to support networks and fairness in enforcement. Over one hundred family experiences were collected and twenty detailed accounts illustrate diverse practical impacts, showing the policy produces both benefits and harms depending on household circumstances and children's needs.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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