A study entitled Social media and society presented by Stefan Steiglitz in 2025 presents a review of relevant literature concerning the benefits and the downsides of social media in society as a whole. The benefits weighed heavily when presented in terms of Democratizing the exchange of information and promoting public dialogue, stretching the scope of scientific and academic studies and publications, and Fostering communication in Crisis by Peace Operations. The average 16 year old neither votes nor actively engages in critical policy making and political opinion, needs to be protected from extreme or graphic content and information by censorship and in safe spaces, and is not an active contributor to research. My point is, the benefits to the younger generation rotates more around generating meaning from what social media is all about, if done right. However, how can social media be done right when it feeds children with recommendations engineered to grab attention and not necessarily to educate. Social media is now a tool used for political radicalization, a ground for targeted violence and cyber bullying, and a disinformation platform. Instagram and tiktok have shaped the social landscape more so among the youth and has in fact greatly weakened societal cohesion. Cyber bullying statistics from 2021 reveal that the most targeted audience for targeted violence over social media is the range 13 to 17 years, and within this, the most frequently targeted are young girls ages 14 to 16. This is now much more relevant to the younger generation. Today, policies are being shaped, tech companies and governments are tightening restrictions, and age restrictions are being implemented to safeguard these teenagers from the worst. Until social media has been proven safe to better standards, children under 16 should be banned from social media.

Letting kids breakdown mentally in a platform that is presented as one that connects them to their peers sounds far from right. What causes the mental health plummets anyways? Is it not that teens especially are trapped in a world that simulates a wanna-be kind of life and having to live up to it? preparing children to learn how to navigate the digital world involves introducing them to this world when they are ready. A 2023 study of how Associations of youths' media usage and well-being are mediated by upward comparisons presents the following findings: Multilevel structural equation models showed that children between ages 10 to 14's social media use was linked to a lower positive and higher negative self worth on a daily basis. Statistics reveal that the purchases of beauty products, body building concentrates and body modification products is highly correlated with the advent of social media usage among children. Social media without a doubt has been proven to present idealized models of female and male beauty. these standards are simply not healthy for children. Lastly, social media is on place where children can make new friends and keep in the loop with their friends. However, its promptness does not imply it to be the only option. Social cohesion has dropped as a result of social media. Children are able to present more of themselves on social media, but still fail to do the same in person. We can invest in educating children and parents on how to be safe on social media, without certainty of effectiveness, or we can teach children how to be people and be themselves out there, and then let them in on the benefits of social media, networking and so on, when they are ready.

You are right about that. But which is easier? to track how these teens use their social media and raise values claiming teens are breaching blocks or to enact proper technical blocks and at least save 60% of these teens from exposure to potential psychological and social harm? An example is ID based verification of accounts, where only adults with valid national IDs can create an account. Okay, a few teens will use their older friend's account, but I am certain that friend has ethical limits to what they expose their younger friends or siblings to. A single account per Identification and it takes even more to breach the block. Parents have been trained before to protect children from visiting rated sites, yet children still access them. Site owners depend on single click to agree disclaimers to avoid legal complexities. If you can kill 2 rats with one trap, why kill 1 at a time? ethics and priorities are in favor of protecting children and letting them live with what they have.