Social media is a part of everyday life for many teenagers; these platforms allow teens to connect with friends, share interests and stay informed. As concerns about mental health, online safety and addictive algorithms grow, many are asking whether the content teens have access to should be limited.
In recent years, many parents, lawmakers and social media companies have grown concerned about how easily young users can access social media. This concern has affected many different parts of the world. In the United States, different state legislatures have introduced new bills to tackle this question. In Washington state, earlier last year, House Bill 1834 was first introduced to the House. HB 1834 focuses on “Protecting Washington children online.” Its goals include stopping minors from accessing addictive algorithms and giving parents more control over what minors can access on social media.
Supporters of stronger limits believe these policies could help reduce exposure to harmful content and protect younger users from unsafe interactions. Social media platforms are designed to keep users engaged for long periods of time.
Some Lake Stevens High School students agree that age should play a major role in how much access teens have online.
“I feel like we shouldn’t be using the same social media limitations on a 17-19 year old as a 13 or 14 year old. Since these are the times where our brains are developing the most, so we have very different levels of how close our brains are to being fully developed that all depends on the specific age range,” sophomore Ava Keller said.
Keller’s perspective highlights an important point in the debate: limitations do not necessarily mean banning all teens from social media platforms entirely. Instead, many supporters argue that younger teens should have stronger protection.
Safety is another big concern raised by LSHS students. Online platforms can allow adults to make direct contact with minors, which can lead to dangerous and uncomfortable situations.
“I do think there should be a limit though. I don’t really interact with anyone I don’t know in person when using Discord, and I don’t do much in YouTube comment sections, but it can get scary at times. For example, a friend at church had an adult man message her over TikTok, asking for her WhatsApp. That’s not safe for someone under the age of at least thirteen to attempt to navigate,” sophomore Madison Street said.
However, not everyone believes stricter limits on social media are the best solution. Some argue that responsibility should fall more on the parents of teens than on tech companies or lawmakers.
“We’ve seen multiple companies enforce “age verification” to little success. At the end of the day, it’s the parents’ responsibility to watch what their children use to prevent danger. Many apps have age requirements already (Discord requires users to be 13+). Even if more apps did this strategy, curiosity will catch up to children eventually and have them use these apps and explore the depths. This includes teens as well,” sophomore Aubree Berry said.
Even with these concerns, stronger protections can still play an important role in keeping minor users safe online. Age guidelines, content filters and parental tools may not prevent all risks, but they can be used to help create safer digital environments. At the same time, teens will learn how to responsibly navigate social media.
