95bFM Would a social media ban solve rising youth distress?
23 July, 2026
Interview by Pranuja Tahal, adapted by Marlo Schorr-Kon
A recent inquiry has backed stronger regulation for social media, including a possible ban for users under 16 years old. Supporters argue a ban could protect young people from the addictive platforms, harmful content, and the worsening of mental health. University of Auckland researchers, however, say the evidence does not support blaming social media as the main cause of rising youth distress.
Cure Kids Professorial Chair in Child and Adolescent Mental Health at the University of Auckland, Dr Terryann Clark, told 95bFM's The Wire that there are “lots of reasons” why children and young people these days are more distressed.
“We are seeing unprecedented distress for young people around climate issues, around housing, around food insecurity, around discrimination and racism, and a whole bunch of big picture issues, yet we think that a social media ban is going to fix our kids' mental health.”
Dr Clark says a social media ban is “just being used as a quick fix to try and address what's really happening with our young people.”
“About 80 percent of under 13-year-olds are already on social media, so, what we could do was really strengthen our existing restrictions and make sure that our under 13-year-olds aren't engaging in social media, but they could be learning about how to be safe online so that when they do have access, then they're better prepared.”
Australia recently introduced its own social media ban for under 16s, which has led to mixed results, Dr Clark says.
“There were some really good things that have happened out of it. Parents were saying things like they were spending more time with their children and they were not online.”
Dr Clark says parents have noticed some negative things as well.
“They found that young people were less socially connected, and they were more likely to go into unregulated social media areas, so, some young people are now seeking other forms of social media or online spaces that don't have the same rules and regulations, and it inadvertently makes them more vulnerable to harm.”
“I think in our attempts to try and protect our kids by creating the social media ban, it has pushed our kids into some areas where there aren't the same protections that they would have normally. And they're less likely to tell their parents, for instance, if they are being bullied or there are some nasty things happening online because they're afraid that they'll get in trouble.”
“They find it really difficult to have conversations around some of these really tough issues when they're being bullied, and they're not going to tell their families or other people because they're afraid of what will happen.”
Dr Clark says usually when young people are worried about their mental health, they are looking for information online instead of asking “real people.”
“They're going and they're searching. What do I do about this? Who do I talk to? What happens then? And so, restricting access to information online is really harmful for some young people, as it is often the only way that they can reach out and ask for help.”
Dr Clark says New Zealand legislation is “just not keeping up with the pace of what's happening in the digital space” and needs to be updated.
“There are some things that we can do on a policy level in Aotearoa that means that [social media platforms] are accountable for their content and making sure that they do have these protections in place, and that we hold these social media people to account for what they're providing our children with. I think there's a range of things that we can do, and a social media ban is a really blunt instrument.”
