More and More Countries Want to Ban Social Media for Children Under 16, Security Concerns in the Spotlight

JAKARTA - More and more governments in various countries are considering banning the use of social media for children under the age of 16. This step is taken amid growing concerns about security, mental health, the spread of misinformation, and negative social impacts on the younger generation.

Social media does offer many benefits, ranging from maintaining communication with friends and family, following news developments, to entertainment and education. However, on the other hand, this digital platform is also considered to hold various risks, especially for children and adolescents.

Spain has become one of the latest countries to openly declare its intention to ban children from accessing social media. At the World Governments Summit held in Dubai, the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, called social media a "failed state", a place where "laws are ignored and crimes are allowed to happen".

The Spanish government plans to implement new regulations that will ban users under the age of 16 from accessing social media platforms. In addition, Sánchez also demands that technology companies implement stricter age verification systems so that children cannot register by pretending to be over the specified limit.

Spain's move follows a global trend. Previously, Australia had announced a similar policy. The UK is also studying the possibility of implementing the ban, while Denmark and Malaysia have even Indonesia have announced plans to restrict the use of social media for children.

However, this policy has reaped both pros and cons. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is one of the parties that opposes the ban. In response to the Australian decision, Meta asked the local government to reconsider the policy.

According to Meta, banning social media has the potential to encourage children to seek other, more dangerous alternatives, including exploring the "dark corners" of the internet that are poorly supervised and much more risky.

Meta also emphasized that it had a variety of security and protection protocols for young users. However, the system is recognized as not yet perfect. A number of experts also assessed that age-based bans would be difficult to enforce, because children could still circumvent it with the use of VPNs or false identity data.

On the other hand, many parties understand the reasons behind the government's firm steps. Various cases show how social media can be a very toxic space, including the prevalence of cyberbullying among students. In some extreme cases, cyberbullying has even been linked to severe depression and suicide in adolescents.

In addition, social media is also considered dangerous through the trend of extreme challenges and the spread of misinformation. Children with immature critical thinking skills are considered more vulnerable to taking dangerous risks or being trapped by online fraud.

Although there is no solution that is considered truly perfect, many parties consider the age ban to be a first step to protect children from the negative impact of social media. The debate is still ongoing, as governments in various countries seek a balance between child protection, digital freedom, and the reality of the internet world that is difficult to control.