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Bernard Chan

China’s National Press and Publication Administration introduced gaming regulations for under 18s in 2019, including a curfew and daily playing time limits of 90 minutes on weekdays and three hours at weekends and on public holidays. When the authorities tightened the rules in 2021, some Western media characterised the measures as draconian and a textbook example of state overreach.
Since then, the regulation of minors’ online activity has attracted wider attention as more governments grapple with the effects of social media.
Australia has become the first Western democracy to legally ban under 16s from using certain social media platforms, including X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat. Under the new regulations, technology companies could face penalties for noncompliance. With this move, Canberra is signalling that it now considers access to social media to be a matter of public health and safety.
Europe and several Asian governments are considering similar measures. Singapore’s Ministry of Education has focused on schools. Starting in January, secondary school students will no longer be allowed to use smartphones or smartwatches during school hours, consistent with policies already in place in primary schools. The aim is to reset the school day as a time for face-to-face interaction and focused learning.
Advocates worldwide warn that unrestricted smartphone use during the school day hampers both learning and well-being. Teachers report that personal devices distract students from lessons, with notifications and apps encouraging constant task switching rather than engagement.
Research studies link heavy social media use among adolescents to elevated risks of cyberbullying, social comparison and disrupted sleep patterns. These factors are associated with higher rates of anxiety, depression and, in some cases, suicidal thoughts and self-harm.

Schools in countries such as France, Spain and Britain have implemented phone restrictions on the grounds of child protection rather than discipline.
A recent Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development report on childhood in the digital age found that while devices offer the benefits of learning, play and social connection, intensive and poorly managed use can affect children’s development, sleep, physical health and mental well-being, with links to anxiety, depression and problematic online experiences.
With several governments closely monitoring the developments in Australia, we are witnessing a shift in the social contract between the state, parents and children. Ideologies may differ between Beijing and Brussels, or between Asian and Western capitals, but they face the same fundamental dilemma: how to let young people grow up in a connected world without leaving them vulnerable to products never designed with their well-being in mind.
Many parents’ worries are not entirely new, but technology has intensified and extended them. Traditional teasing and playground gossip now follow children home through their phones, turning what was once time-limited conflict into 24-hour digital confrontation that can be screenshotted, shared and replayed.
International studies recognise cyberbullying as a significant public health issue: young people targeted online are more likely to report symptoms of depression and anxiety, and feelings of loneliness and exclusion.
The same pattern holds for broader social media use. Being left out, judged by peers or exposed to unrealistic standards has always been part of growing up. Constant connectivity amplifies these pressures. Many children rely on online spaces for friendship, self-expression and support. These same spaces can create anxiety, disrupt rest and magnify unkindness in ways that are difficult to manage.


The perspectives of young people cannot be ignored. For the current generation, social media platforms are more than just apps to pass the time; they are the modern equivalent of the schoolyard, art studio and playground combined.
Many young people devote considerable time and effort to building online communities and regard these networks as essential to their well-being and future careers. For them, being banned from a social media platform feels less like protection and more like eviction from a space they helped to create – one they are likely to try to access again.
Children spend more of their connected time at home than in class, and research on problematic social media use and internet overuse consistently points to the quality of family relationships and communication as a significant factor in both the causation and alleviation of psychological distress.
When parents set reasonable screen time limits, model their own phone habits and make time to talk about what children are seeing and doing online, it can reduce some of the risks associated with social media use and help young people cope better with upsetting content or peer pressure.
For any internet or social media policy to be effective, measures at home and at school must work together rather than operate separately. Guidance from education and child protection authorities increasingly emphasises that online safety is a shared responsibility: schools can establish clear rules, use filtered networks and teach digital citizenship, while parents can supervise daily activities, offer emotional support and foster an environment conducive to open and honest conversations when issues arise.
In that sense, combining age limits, school restrictions, stronger platform regulation and practical support for families offers a shared approach whereby governments from very different political traditions, whether in Asia or the West, accept that they face a common problem. Families, educators and regulators all have a part to play in helping children navigate an online world that is not going away.


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Social media

West is getting on the same page as China for children’s social media use

A message that reads “Let them be kids” is projected onto the Sydney Harbour Bridge to mark a law banning social media for users under 16 in Australia on December 10. Photo: Reuters

People play in a video gaming centre in Shanghai in 2021, when China’s National Press and Publication Administration ordered video game companies to limit playing time for those under 18. Photo: EPA-EFE

Australia’s social media ban offers a path between excess and inaction

A child tries to unlock a social media site after receiving an age verification message at her home in Sydney on December 10. Photo: AFP


Students use mobile phones on a train at Central MTR station on June 27. Photo: Jelly Tse

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (third from left) talks to guests during an official function to mark the start of Australia’s social media reform at Kirribilli House in Sydney on December 10. Photo: AFP

Southeast Asia follows Australia in tightening social media rules: safety or censorship?

Australia banned  social media for children under 16 earlier this month. Photo: dpa

Malay girls check a mobile phone in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo: AP

Filipino teenagers look at a screen on a smartphone. Photo: Shutterstock

Singapore parents welcome curbs on smartphone use in schools: ‘better late than never’

Singapore is among countries that have stepped up measures to curb screen time and tighten social media restrictions for adolescents. Photo: TNS

Australia’s internet regulator has said its social media ban on teenagers under the age of 16 would lead a global push to rein in Big Tech. Photo: Reuters

Joanna Han and her daughter Edna at Sentosa in November 2025. Han says she has managed to restrict her daughter’s phone usage by setting ground rules early. Photo: Joanna Han

Too much screen time can be detrimental to teenagers as it may expose them to issues such as harmful content and online bullies, according to psychiatrist Adrian Wang. Photo: Shutterstock

Opinion

World Opinion

Governments face the same problem: how to let young people grow up in a connected world, around products not designed with their well-being in mind


Governments face the same problem: how to let young people grow up in a connected world, around products not designed with their well-being in mind.


China

Facebook

Internet

TikTok

Singapore

Australia

Instagram

Ministry of Education

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development

Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


West is getting on the same page as China for children’s social media use

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Governments face the same problem: how to let young people grow up in a connected world, around products not designed with their well-being in mind

Governments face the same problem: how to let young people grow up in a connected world, around products not designed with their well-being in mind