A month ago, Australia initiated one of the most notable social experiments of the last decade by introducing a law that restricts access to social networks for teenagers under 16 years old.
In a study conducted by the BBC, it was revealed how this step has affected family life. The results were mixed, ranging from a sense of long-awaited freedom to attempts to bypass the restrictions.
For 14-year-old Amy from Sydney, the first days without her usual apps became a real test of her self-control. In her diary, she noted that at first, she instinctively reached for her smartphone every morning. However, by the fourth day, anxiety was replaced by unexpected relief. Amy admitted that what worried her the most was maintaining daily "streaks" on Snapchat, which had become mandatory for many teenagers. Freed from this pressure, she began to spend time running, reading, and even knitting, while her screen time was cut in half.
However, not all teenagers managed to adapt to the new reality so easily. Thirteen-year-old Aahil reported that his daily routine had hardly changed. He redirected his attention to gaming platforms like Roblox and the messaging app Discord, which were not affected by the ban. His mother noticed that her son had become more irritable. Psychologist Christina Anthony links this to the "cancellation" effect, as social networks served not only as entertainment for teenagers but also as a way to cope with stress and boredom.
The situation is exacerbated by the fact that many young people quickly learned to bypass the restrictions. Fifteen-year-old Lulu candidly told reporters that she simply created new accounts, indicating an age over 16. She noted that she started reading more, not wanting to waste time on meaningless scrolling through fake profiles.
Interestingly, the period of "silence" on social media sometimes brought unexpected benefits. Amy recalls that on the day of the tragic events at Bondi Beach in December, she was glad to be absent from TikTok. While adults were immersed in a stream of violent videos and negative information, she was able to avoid that stress and maintain her peace of mind.
Despite the criticism and the possibility of circumventing the restrictions, Australian authorities are confident in the validity of the experiment. Communications Minister Anika Wells emphasizes that the goal of the law is to give children three more years to develop their personalities outside the pressure of algorithms.
Official data on the results of the ban and the number of deleted accounts is promised to be published by the government in the coming weeks. In the meantime, Australia is learning to interact with each other face-to-face rather than through the screens of their smartphones.
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