As the world marks Safer Internet Day on February 10, 2026, the global conversation has shifted from managing screen time” to a more radical question: Should children be banned from social media entirely?
Most countries are implementing, debating and suggesting to impose the ban on social media for under 16s. In December, 2025 Australia became the first country that took this initiative, protecting kids from the horrors of the digital landscape.
Other countries such as France, Spain, Germany, and Czech Republic are vowing to implement similar bans on social media for the sake of kids' protection.
Here such kind of measures beg a question: is social media ban the only way to protect kids? Given the rapidly evolving nature of the digital landscape, it is no mistake to say that technology is here to stay and the people, especially children, must know how to navigate this treacherous territory.
Parents must prepare their children by equipping them with digital literacy along with implementing tech-free routines or zones and preparing for artificial intelligence.
Parents, instead of locking children out of digital and social media platforms, should stay involved by understanding the platforms. Most social media platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram offer robust parental control to keep a check on children and manage their screen times.
YouTube’s supervised accounts for teens are designed to respect a teen’s growing autonomy while still ensuring parents are in the loop.
Parents can also teach their teens to avoid using phones or any tech devices during family time or gathering.
According to the British non-governmental organization, Save the Children, parents must allow their children to set their own online and tech-free moments through “consistent routines.”
According to UNICEF, “Parents should also review the privacy settings both on their child’s device and their social media accounts, so data collection is minimised.”
Setting a positive example by parents is another way of prompting children to follow in their footsteps.
The internet is like a global community fraught with various challenges ranging from online abuse to cyberbullying. Therefore, it is the need to teach teens the fundamentals of digital citizenship and online safety. The improved digital citizenship allows young people to be smart, watchful, strong, empathetic and brave online.
Children should be literate enough to identify the menaces and leverage the opportunities stemming from the digital ecosystem.
As per UNICEF, modelling positive online behaviour is also important, so that children can interact online respectfully and avoid harmful content.
Parents should teach their children what harmful content looks like and what to do if they come across such content. They must have knowledge regarding the usage of blocking and reporting tools.
The NSPCC suggests asking questions such as “Have you seen anything online that made you uncomfortable? or Who do you chat with online? regularly to help children feel supported.”
In the age of AI, children must learn about these tools, like how these algorithms work and how to interact with bots constructively.
OpenAI, ChatGPT-maker company, suggests children must learn to use AI as a partner, not a replacement for their own ideas or experiences.
“AI is great at generating ideas … but it doesn’t have your life experience, relationships, or full context,” OpenAI added.
Upon asking inquiry, teens must perform fact-checking to avoid misinformation.
According to Google, Nearly three-quarters of people now use AI for education, and a majority of teachers believe AI will improve student outcomes.