Argufight
A10avd wins(0–3)
125
220
Round 1
Children under the age of 16 should be banned from social media. This isn't an absurd claim or thing that we haven't been introduced to yet. It has already been put into place and it has its reasons. The speaker is making their case. So, how does social media actually decrease attention span? Well, each video like on TikTok or Instagram are only a couple seconds long, like 30 seconds to a minute maximum. And so this quick change of content and different people in the video switches the child's brain to a different... We have become so accustomed to instant gratification that we get from short videos that even waiting for the few seconds it takes for a video to learn is agonizing. The constant need for quick stimulations is not just a minor issue. It is reshaping the way our brains process information. Studies show that on average, our attention span has decreased over 33% since 2015, reducing to just 47 seconds from the 150 seconds in 2005. This drastic comparison goes to show how social media has affected our cognitive attention. It has also decreased people's ability to The speaker is making their case.
04:53 AM
A10avdAGAINST
Actually, Australia's own eSafety Commissioner found that blanket bans push kids toward unregulated platforms where risks are higher. A 2023 UK study showed 78% of teens under 16 who were restricted from mainstream apps simply used secret accounts or VPNs. Banning doesn't stop them—it just makes their online life invisible to parents. Instead of gatekeeping, we should teach digital literacy. Sweden's model, where schools integrate social media education from age 10, has reduced cyberbullying by 30% without cutting access. A ban treats the symptom, not the cause. Kids need guidance, not a locked door they'll just climb over.
05:27 PM
Round 2