At the end of last week, on November 28, the Australian parliament passed a law banning individuals under the age of 16 from using social media. According to the legislation, companies are required to take “reasonable steps” to prevent minors from accessing these platforms. If they fail to comply, the maximum fine is 50 million Australian dollars (approx. 32 million USD). The ban applies to platforms such as Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, and X. Many young people featured in the show PERSPEKTIVA are aware of the negative impacts of excessive social media use. Zvezdan and Leonora from Bijeljina shared their thoughts:
“It hurts me when I see a group of young people who don’t communicate at all. They sit at the same table, but everyone is looking at their phones, and hardly any conversation takes place.”
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/32745400.html
“There’s a significant decline in communication among peers. Social media plays a big role in this, as we increasingly rely on messaging instead of direct interaction, and as a result, we struggle to express ourselves, and now have poor vocabulary.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDl1k2p9baM
Others point to a dramatic decline in student motivation to learn. A young teacher from Skopje, Dzenan, confirms this trend.
“Students have completely lost their motivation. Whether it’s because of social media or the use of phones in school… I’ve been teaching primary school students for 7 years, and I’ve noticed that, year after year, the situation is only getting worse. Children’s motivation, desire to learn, and drive to achieve something and develop skills are declining.”
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/perspektiva-mladi-skoplje-sjeverna-makedonija/32658703.html
Milica from Belgrade says that young people are turning into zombies, while Tarik from Tuzla notes that social networks are causing young people to isolate themselves.
“On TikTok, I think users don’t even realize what they’re watching; the content just keeps spinning, and we continuously absorb it. As a result, we turn into zombies, just absorbing information. We lose control over it, but it ends up shaping us.”
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/perspektiva-sarajevo-film-festival/32617958.html
“Under the influence of social networks, we isolate ourselves from things that are uncomfortable or that we don’t want to hear.”
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/perspektiva-sarajevo-film-festivalu-generacija-/32638235.html
In one of his most memorable TED Talks in 2009, author Simon Sinek discussed how society has been slow to address the obsession with social media, despite the fact that this addiction triggers the release of dopamine, a hormone that communicates with the brain. He pointed out that while there are widespread bans on young people’s access to alcohol, gambling, and cigarettes, there is no equivalent restriction on social media, whose addictive effects are driven by the same hormone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9prG2GF45-s&ab_channel=MotivationMadness
Young people also highlight the health consequences of social media, as noted by Era from Pristina and Rijalda from Tuzla.
“I don’t watch the news because it makes me extremely anxious.”
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/perspektiva-tv-mladi-pristina/32711811.html
“Depression among young people is a growing issue, both in Tuzla and throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the Balkans. I believe that 70% of this depression and anxiety is caused by parents, and 30% by social media.”
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/perspektiva-tuzla-mladi/33101655.html
A full 77% of Australians support banning access to social media for young people. Similarly, in Croatia, as in many EU countries, a ban on mobile phone use in schools is being implemented. Children are required to leave their phones in lockers and can retrieve them when they go home. Social media platform owners, like Elon Musk, argue that this is an infringement of free speech, though they are likely more concerned about losing profits. “We have drawn a line in the sand,” said one Australian parliamentarian during the debate. “The unlimited power of technology companies is no longer unchecked.”
