Some experts propose that default limits on likes, filters, and late-night usage could enhance the safety of young Instagram and Facebook users. They emphasize the need for continuous improvements.
Implementing a worldwide social media ban for children has proven challenging in Australia. Since introducing the legislation this year, achieving enforcement has been tough.
David Gray / AFP – Getty Images file
September 1, 2026, 5:46 PM EDT
Sophia Choukas-Bradley, a psychologist specializing in teenage counseling, describes how some of her clients become fixated on social media. They might spend an hour constantly refreshing their screens, focused on the accumulation of likes. Some even resort to purchasing fake likes or deleting posts that don’t meet their expectations.