Story thread · 2 reports / 2 sources

Should society treat social media use like other addictions?

thenationalnews.com · 11dShare

The UAE will introduce a minimum age requirement for social media users next year, as The National reported in June. The country has set the threshold at 15 years old and is the first in the region to do so. This requirement matches similar moves being made elsewhere. Australia became the first country to restrict social media use for under-16s last year, including Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube. From September, France will restrict access to 10 major platforms, including TikTok. President Emmanuel Macron has described the online world as a “jungle” for young people to navigate and lawmakers in France say the aim of the policy is to help deliver a “better” society. The United Kingdom will institute a full social media ban for under-16s next year. In one of his final acts as prime minister, Keir Starmer justified the proposal by saying social media was making young people “unhappy”. He is supported by UK research, which has found that usage restrictions typically lead to decent outcome

First report: Were We Less Happy Before Social Media? — cleantechnica.com, 11d