Local students say social media has risks, but a government ban may not be the answer

A new federal bill is proposing to ban social media for kids. Some are concerned it would be hard to enforce. CTV Windsor’s Sanjay Maru gets the scoop.

A Windsor-area youth advocate says while she understands the intention behind Ottawa’s proposed social media ban for children under 16, she does not believe a legislated ban will do enough to keep kids safe from the dangers of the online world.

The proposed Safe Social Media Act, also known as Bill C-34, would require social media companies such as Meta and X to block users under the age of 16 from having accounts, unless those platforms meet government-approved safety standards.

The legislation would also put new obligations on artificial intelligence companies to protect children from harmful content.

If passed, the act would be enforced by a new Digital Safety Commission. Companies that fail to comply could face fines of up to $10 million.

Joanna Conrad, executive director of Essex County Youth Diversion, said she supports the goal of reducing the harms young people face online.

“But we also know that two things can be true at once, which is that even though all of these things are there and it’d be nice to reduce them or eliminate them, I question whether or not a ban is going to help achieve those outcomes,” said Conrad.

Conrad said she has concerns about whether young people would simply find ways around the rules, pointing to Australia as an example of how difficult age-based restrictions can be to enforce.

“Kids there have gotten around the age verification. It’s not keeping kids offline. It’s not protecting them anymore than it was before,” said Conrad.

Still, Conrad said the online risks facing young people are real, and she believes their constant exposure to social media is changing the kinds of situations youth-serving agencies are now seeing.

At Essex County Youth Diversion, Conrad said staff are seeing concerning behaviour involving younger children, including cases where children are acting out things they have seen online.

“Before, we’d see situations where the child who was offending would express they had been offended previously by an adult. Now, that’s no longer what we are seeing.” Sje said.

“Instead, we’re seeing that children are exposed to pornography and explicit content, and they are reenacting it — oftentimes, with another child that’s at their disposal.”

She added parents should not assume their child has to deliberately search for harmful material in order to encounter it.

“Sometimes, it is shared by another friend. Other times, it pops up in the algorithm,” she said.

Conrad said the issue also extends beyond explicit content, with social media shaping how young people see themselves, their families, and what they believe they should have.

“Everybody is posting the highlight reel of their life,” Conrad said, adding that constant comparison can leave young people feeling inadequate or left out.

“If I can’t afford something or my parents can’t afford it, or my family doesn’t look like the picture-perfect family that’s constantly in my face, how am I going to feel about myself?”

Several local students who spoke with CTV News said they understand why adults are worried about social media, but many questioned whether cutting off access entirely is the right answer.

12-year-old Emma Durham said younger users need safeguards, but she believes social media use can depend on a child’s maturity, and the role parents play.

“I think it depends on the child,” Durham said.

“Some kids are responsible and their parents can teach them that social media is dangerous.”

Durham said she believes adults should remain closely involved in what children are doing online.

“I think the parents should always know what the child is doing and what apps they have, and always stay connected with the children,” Durham said.

Sarah Gao, 11, said social media can become unhealthy when young people spend too much time on it, especially late at night.

“Sometimes when you’re doomscrolling late at night, you don’t get enough sleep, you get tired the next morning and your brain isn’t working as well,” Gao said.

But Gao said a full ban could also create problems for young people who use social media to stay in touch with classmates and friends.

“If you can’t contact anyone, it’s like you get isolated from everything,” Gao said.

“I think that they shouldn’t ban all social media, but they should make it safer for other kids,” Gao said.

Avery Delisle, 13, said social media is part of how many young people maintain friendships, especially as they enter high school and start experiencing new things.

“Social media is our outlet to connect with our friends and really be there for each other,” Delisle said.

Delisle said she understands the desire to protect children from online predators and harmful content, but questions whether an outright ban would be realistic.

“If there was a ban, people would totally find a way to get around it,” Delisle said, adding stronger restrictions would make more sense than cutting off access completely.

Tony Feghali, 14, said social media can be useful for staying connected with friends and family, but it can also distort how young people view their own lives.

“You see how happy people are and the stuff they’re doing on social media. But social media will only show you the best stuff because people aren’t going to post bad stuff,” he said.

“It’s going to make you think that there’s something you’re doing wrong. So that can definitely affect your mental health.”

He said instead of removing access entirely, platforms could place stronger limits on what younger users are able to see and do.

“Maybe, instead of getting rid of social media for kids under 16, they could update the parental controls and make everything not as accessible for people who are under 16 years old,” he said.

The federal government says social media companies could be exempt from the proposed restrictions if they can show they have sufficient safeguards in place, including measures to limit children’s exposure to high-risk interactions and pornographic content.

Conrad added parents, schools, community organizations, and government all have a role to play in helping children navigate the online world safely.

She said the better approach is to prepare young people before they are fully immersed in social media, comparing it to how teenagers are taught to drive.

“We don’t ban teenagers from driving a car or being inside of a car before they get their driver’s ed,” Conrad said.

Instead, Conrad said young people need to be taught digital literacy, healthy online habits, and how to understand the impact social media can have on their mental health, self-esteem and behaviour.

“I’m finding not as many parents are starting that conversation as early as they should,” Conrad said.

Conrad said some parents worry that talking about online dangers will expose their children to issues they are not ready for, but she believes many children already know more than adults realize.

“The question is also, do you want them to learn from you about the concerns, or do you want them to learn from the online world?” she said.

“Because once they learn from the online world or from a friend, it’s already too late.”

Some major platforms already have safety features for teen users.

Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube have introduced various teen account settings, parental supervision tools, screen-time limits, private-by-default accounts or restrictions on messaging and visibility for younger users.

Several tech companies have also warned that blanket bans could push young people into less regulated online spaces.

Conrad said that is part of her concern.

She believes the conversation should not be about whether online harms exist, but whether a legal ban is the most effective way to reduce them.

“I think that if anything, we need to ask ourselves whether or not we are pushing a ban in order for us adults to make ourselves feel better, that we are doing something,” she said.