Wish we would go ahead and do the same. Social media is dangerous and toxic for our youth.

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/this-is-end-australian-teens-mourn-loss-social-media-ban-begins-2025-12-10/

Yes in theory, but parents could just do their jobs……

A good start. 18 would be better.

OK Tipper Gore...

Oh yeah, just what we need. The govt telling more of us what we can and can't do. No thanks.

AxelFoley85 said:

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Wish we would go ahead and do the same. Social media is dangerous and toxic for our youth.

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/this-is-end-australian-teens-mourn-loss-social-media-ban-begins-2025-12-10/

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Except they didn't ban a social media platform owned by a known Australian leftist. Rules for thee...

zooguy96 said:

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Yes in theory, but parents could just do their jobs……

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I agree, generally, in both directions.

My own experience has hit/miss success. We coach the kids constantly on what to look out for, what to avoid, what they need to tell us about immediately, etc.

I have parental controls that are quite strict on our home internet. From time to time, I find different apps, websites or avenues that slip past and I have to additionally block those.

Our kids don't have phones.

But other kids do...and our kids know other kids. There's almost no scenario where the kids aren't exposed to this stuff. It seems to me the best I'm going to do is coach/guide them in such a way that assumes they'll be exposed to the worst stuff out there and then just have the tools, temperment, knowledge and resources to deal with it.

Sometimes I wish it weren't that way but I guess that's how we build resilient kids.

Our family does no screen February (my kids are 8 & 11) and it's the best month of the year. After the first two days they don't even miss it. So much playing outside and with the neighborhood kids. It's awesome.

You can do stuff like this after you take away everybody's guns!

ha ha

What I did almost 10 years ago, everyone is following now.

I did not buy my kids cellphones until freshman year of High School. And during their freshman year, they only had flip-phones, so no "smart phones" so no stupid apps.

My kids were the only ones in the entire high school with flip phones. I explained to them clearly and repeatedly that they were NOT being punished, they were being protected. They both did not argue or fight back, to their credit. My daughter (sr in HS) now thanks me and says all her friends are addicted to making TikTok videos and posting spicy coquettish thirst-trap photos on Instagram but she doesn't have time or interest in doing that.

I even got some judgy comments from some parents that I was "depriving" my kids. Now their kids spend days and nights on TikTok. I even posted about that here many times over the years. Some parents even hinted that I was not wealthy enough to buy them phones. ha...Sure.

As they get older and more mature, they can take their own decisions on this. Usually it will be the right one, I hope it will be. When they are young, they have no capacity to judge right from wrong, so I take decisions for them.

Do the right thing. Protect your kids. Don't let some greedy CEO get rich at the expense of your kids.

Sims said:

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zooguy96 said:

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Yes in theory, but parents could just do their jobs……

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I agree, generally, in both directions.

My own experience has hit/miss success. We coach the kids constantly on what to look out for, what to avoid, what they need to tell us about immediately, etc.

I have parental controls that are quite strict on our home internet. From time to time, I find different apps, websites or avenues that slip past and I have to additionally block those.

Our kids don't have phones.

But other kids do...and our kids know other kids. There's almost no scenario where the kids aren't exposed to this stuff. It seems to me the best I'm going to do is coach/guide them in such a way that assumes they'll be exposed to the worst stuff out there and then just have the tools, temperment, knowledge and resources to deal with it.

Sometimes I wish it weren't that way but I guess that's how we build resilient kids.

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Well, yes, kids can know other kids. Our parents made sure we only hung out with the right kids. If our friends weren't the right kind of kids to hang out with, we didn't hang out with them outside of school. We didn't have licenses until we were 17 and didn't have cars of our own until we could pay for them ourselves. Everything we had was a privilege, because we were still kids.

Too many kids have too much "stuff" these days which don't make them better people. Too many parents don't parent. I was in the classroom for 10 years, and now work with college students. It's not any different. Just getting worse.

I normally fall on the side of less government. But a free society isn't anarchy...so I'm ok with some regulation. And protecting youth, when adults wont, is typically one of those things I'm ok with.

We put age limits on driving, smoking, drinking, voting, etc etc etc.

Yes, it'd be great if parents did their job. But many don't. Hence the reason we need age restricted content/products/activities.

So all that said...I hate that we need age restrictions, but we do.

The only question is whether we think social media is harmful for youth. If we agree it is, I'm not sure what else we have to discuss.

I'll also say, when my kids first got phones, I realized that while I can control what's on my kid's phones, I couldnt control what was on other kids phones...and they were constantly telling me about content someone showed them.

It ASTOUNDS me how little safe guards most parents put on their kids phones.

We all agree there is a world full of evil out there. We've all seen or experienced it.

You hand your kid a phone, without safeguards, you're literally handing them a portal to anything and everything in this world. And rest assured, they will be exposed to the absolute worst things it has to offer.

I'm also okay with this. Kids are really great at getting around every kind of control you put into place. For example, if you block YouTube, they can still play a video through Google search or Messages. I'm sure kids will find ways around this legislation but we need to make efforts at all levels: corporations, schools, and homes. If we don't have controls in place at every level it's almost not worth doing.

if they banned pitbulls to go along with underage phones ... i may consider Australia a great place again!

Great OP, I actually came to post this.

The real problem with kids and social media is that the providers are literally rewiring the way that kids think. This is NOT an exaggeration. Social media uses A/B testing etc. to encourage engagement --> which drives their revenues.

BAD ENOUGH for us to be the product. Our kids, though??


One of the better recent studies--Neurological Changes & "Social Sensitivity" (UNC Chapel Hill)
A landmark study published in JAMA Pediatrics used brain scans to show how checking social media actually changes how the brain responds to the world.

• The Findings: The study found that students who habitually checked social media feeds showed changes in the amygdala (emotional processing). Over time, their brains became hypersensitive to social feedback (anticipating rewards and punishments from peers) compared to those who checked less often.

Probably, this would be better delayed to adulthood (18+) but at least it is a start.

Spotted Ag said:

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Oh yeah, just what we need. The govt telling more of us what we can and can't do. No thanks.

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Ok. Should we just let them bring beer to school? How about guns. Should we just let them walk into any pawn shop and buy a gun?

I would argue, correctly, that social media is FAR more dangerous to a young person than alcohol and guns.

Should be 18 and it is alarming that this is even a conversation. Should have been done a decade ago.

Also,

The cell phone ban at our school has been enormously successful. The behavior of the kids is completely different now than it was in the past. Shockingly so.

Yea Im sure there are a few that cheat and go to the bathroom or whatever, but the vast majority of them don't mind, even like it.

Or.....just parent your children and quit wanting govt to do it for you.


Big govt liberalism is so stupid.

i work with a lady that had her daughter doing GREAT at school (9th grade) ...until November when she started sneaking phone time at school. Her grades dropped, attitude got worse, etc. Her only explanation is that maybe the quick 2-3 minutes distracts her next 20-30 minutes.


somehow she hasnt fully taken it away b/c she is scared school pick up would be too hard

BigRobSA said:

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Or.....just parent your children and quit wanting govt to do it for you.


Big govt liberalism is so stupid.

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Cognitive simplicity is certainly a comfortable thing to seek.

My kids saw the video of Charlie Kirk being assassinated at school before I did...and I spend most of my day on Texags.

They don't even have phones.

agsalaska said:

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Spotted Ag said:

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Oh yeah, just what we need. The govt telling more of us what we can and can't do. No thanks.

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Ok. Should we just let them bring beer to school? How about guns. Should we just let them walk into any pawn shop and buy a gun?

I would argue, correctly, that social media is FAR more dangerous to a young person than alcohol and guns.

Should be 18 and it is alarming that this is even a conversation. Should have been done a decade ago.

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And many have argued that books and information is FAR more dangerous than guns to a young person. Anything is dangerous is it isn't used correctly. The govt stepping in and playing parent to the nation is not what is needed. All that does in enable POS parents to be more a POS and not parent their kids. IT ISN'T THE GOVTS JOB TO MAKE DECISIONS FOR KIDS THAT PARENTS SHOULD MAKE.

agsalaska said:

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Also,

The cell phone ban at our school has been enormously successful. The behavior of the kids is completely different now than it was in the past. Shockingly so.

Yea Im sure there are a few that cheat and go to the bathroom or whatever, but the vast majority of them don't mind, even like it.

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We have seen a great lessening of behaviors and mental health issues at our school, as well, since phones were not allowed during school hours. People who see this as government overreach do not occupy our world and do not fully understand the ramifications of inaction. This is good government as it is similar to regulating teen driving.

Spotted Ag said:

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agsalaska said:

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Spotted Ag said:

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Oh yeah, just what we need. The govt telling more of us what we can and can't do. No thanks.

---

Ok. Should we just let them bring beer to school? How about guns. Should we just let them walk into any pawn shop and buy a gun?

I would argue, correctly, that social media is FAR more dangerous to a young person than alcohol and guns.

Should be 18 and it is alarming that this is even a conversation. Should have been done a decade ago.

---

And many have argued that books and information is FAR more dangerous than guns to a young person. Anything is dangerous is it isn't used correctly. The govt stepping in and playing parent to the nation is not what is needed. All that does in enable POS parents to be more a POS and not parent their kids. IT ISN'T THE GOVTS JOB TO MAKE DECISIONS FOR KIDS THAT PARENTS SHOULD MAKE.

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no one is arguing that parents should be better at parenting.

this thread is about phones

infinity ag said:

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ha ha

What I did almost 10 years ago, everyone is following now.

I did not buy my kids cellphones until freshman year of High School. And during their freshman year, they only had flip-phones, so no "smart phones" so no stupid apps.

My kids were the only ones in the entire high school with flip phones. I explained to them clearly and repeatedly that they were NOT being punished, they were being protected. They both did not argue or fight back, to their credit. My daughter (sr in HS) now thanks me and says all her friends are addicted to making TikTok videos and posting spicy coquettish thirst-trap photos on Instagram but she doesn't have time or interest in doing that.

I even got some judgy comments from some parents that I was "depriving" my kids. Now their kids spend days and nights on TikTok. I even posted about that here many times over the years. Some parents even hinted that I was not wealthy enough to buy them phones. ha...Sure.

As they get older and more mature, they can take their own decisions on this. Usually it will be the right one, I hope it will be. When they are young, they have no capacity to judge right from wrong, so I take decisions for them.

Do the right thing. Protect your kids. Don't let some greedy CEO get rich at the expense of your kids.

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I haven't dealt with it personally... So...

But I've seen numerous articles/reports where over parents are interviewed anonymously they about they don't want their kids having smart phones and social media etc. It's only per pressure from the perception of how they think the other parents feel.
So they publicly and I'm the group all give their kids these things that the ALL privately agree the kids shouldn't have, but to a person they're too clearly to admit publicly what they all privately want.

Agreed.

There were several people on this board who argued against the cell phone ban in schools for the same reasons they are arguing here now. It is idealistic but pretty ignorant at the same time.

Or parents could actually set some boundaries and guardrails.

I agree on less social media for all ages but less big government is the best government.

TXAggie4Christ said:

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Or parents could actually set some boundaries and guardrails.

I agree on less social media for all ages but less government is the best government.

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Do you believe that phones should have been banned in schools?

do you believe kids should be able to buy alcohol at any age. How about guns?

usually less government is the best government. But not always.

Spotted Ag said:

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IT ISN'T THE GOVTS JOB TO MAKE DECISIONS FOR KIDS THAT PARENTS SHOULD MAKE.

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That certainly sounds right to me, but...

I don't want my kids to eat bits of metal or poisoned food. I don't want them to drink unhealthy chemicals. I don't want them to ride to school in an unsafe bus etc.

Because there are standards, guidelines, enforcement and consequences underpinning all of those, I am able to make decisions with some level of confidence that what I am deciding is in fact what will happen.

The degree to which immature audiences are targeted commercially with adult content is gross. You think a teenager is watching a fortnite video and low and behold the first advertisement that comes up in youtube shows a couple having sex in the background. The fortnite content is age rated, passes content filters etc but the ad is ignored. If same teen were to search for the content advertised, it was blocked (I tested that).

agsalaska said:

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TXAggie4Christ said:

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Or parents could actually set some boundaries and guardrails.

I agree on less social media for all ages but less government is the best government.

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Do you believe that phones should have been banned in schools?

do you believe kids should be able to buy alcohol at any age. How about guns?

usually less government is the best government. But not always.

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Howdy, I thought the thread was about social media in Aussie land.

But 15 minutes to slow the spread. That's the govt in action with injecting themselves into our lives.
How long did those shutdowns last? How many lives lost, depression and anxiety caused and businesses lost? For a cold virus.

Where do you draw the line?
Govt is a parasite that continues to grow and feed. How much liberty you willing to give?

Aussies already know…..no guns. Camps for unvaccinated….the hits will keep coming.

The parents are social media addicts too.

Nice deflect. Well done.

The less government needs in here are ignoring how physically toxic social media is. Just parenting harder will fix it!!!!

TXAggie4Christ said:

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Or parents could actually set some boundaries and guardrails.

I agree on less social media for all ages but less big government is the best government.

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But they won't. I HATE this. Adults giving up freedom because parents will not parent. But, many kids spend 8+ hours per day on social media. Of course they are more screwed up.

Don't see any real alternatives than to pass laws that will help. Will not come close to fixing it though.

AxelFoley85 said:

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The less government needs in here are ignoring how physically toxic social media is. Just parenting harder will fix it!!!!

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see above. And I guarantee I am as upset about this as you are.