Social media ban: Experts warn parents to prepare for ‘dopamine withdrawal’ tantrums

Experts have warned parents to strap in for “dopamine withdrawal” tantrums triggered by Australia’s social media ban, saying it could be traumatic and even harmful for some kids who are cut-off.

At least 10 platforms are expected to deactivate all under-16 accounts and block new sign-ups from Wednesday.

Curtin University internet studies professor Tama Leaver said the changes could be difficult to navigate especially for parents have been caught off guard.

“For those young people, hopefully they can do something to prepare in advance, but if they haven’t, it’s going to be especially difficult. For others, this is going to be really traumatic,” professor Leaver said.

“Especially in regional and rural Australia, or for kids for whom they don’t feel that in their face-to-face community. The idea that that connectivity is going to suddenly disappear could be really harmful.”

Cyber safety educator and former teacher Stacey Edmonds said parents should ready themselves for a “whole range of emotions across the next few weeks.”

“We know there’s going to be emotional children because they’re having withdrawal from dopamine,” she said.

“We know they’re going to be upset because we are cutting them off from their 24/7 access to their friends online, in the way that they have become used to communicating.

“You see tantrums for 45 minutes of children who just cannot control themselves — because it’s an addiction. Parents are going to need to have the conversation and if their children get upset, just to repeat to themselves: ‘This is not a punishment. It’s an actual intervention.’

“For many children in their digital lives, shutting their rooms for hours and hours and hours a day, it’s becoming like an episode of Black Mirror.”

The ban affects ten platforms — Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X, YouTube, Threads, Reddit, Kick, and Twitch.

Other apps, like teen-favourite Roblox, are making changes to avoid being added to the list.

Australian Association for Adolescent Health President and University of Sydney Senior Research Fellow Cristyn Davies said the ban was a “major shift” for many teens and could prompt mixed reactions, some of which would be harder for parents to deal with than others.

“Some young people I’ve spoken to feel anxiety and frustration, and they worry that their social world might collapse without the usual platforms,” Dr Davies said.

“And others I’ve spoken to feel relieved, and they see it as a break from the pressure pace and performance of social media.

“I think all of these reactions are valid. So, parents and carers might notice changes in mood of the young person, irritability, or withdrawal, but they might also see young people leaning into new ways of connecting.

“The transition may be challenging for some, but I guess with open communication support, many will find healthy ways to adjust. Young people are adaptable and really resourceful.”

Communications Minister Anika Wells and eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant have warned other apps they could be added to the list.

Those include Lemon8 and Yope which have seen download surges in the lead up to the ban.

Ms Wells and Ms Grant have insisted it’s a “dynamic list” and platforms would be added if they include social-media like functions.

They have also vowed to keep a close eye on trends, to see which apps young people move to after their favourite platforms are banned.

If those that are banned don’t take reasonable steps to deactivate accounts of young uses and block them from signing up to new ones, the companies could face an almost $50 million fine.

Dr Davies urged parents to listen to their teens, ask how they’re feeling, respect their perspective, explain that the ban is designed to reduce harm online and not to punish them.

She said parents should also help their children to come up with alternative ways for them to stay connected to friends.

“I’d be encouraging activities like team sports, music or drama groups, gaming meetups, creative arts, or simply spending more time with friends after school or on the weekends,” she said.

“This can create the connection that young people value so highly, and it also builds agency and draws on their existing strengths.”

But Ms Edmond warned that the ban could also impact some children’s skillsets.

She said digital literacy was crucial for young people and one of four key recommendations of a Parliamentary Senate inquiry dedicated to online safety.

It has been chaotic and it has been confusing. I’m worried when the ban comes in place on Wednesday, there will be more than just teething problems with it.

“We need to be moving fast on education. We really need to fund the digital literacy program across all schools,” she said.

“Ideally, concurrently, we would have a specialised digital literacy teacher in every single public school, which we don’t.

“The aim of the delay is to delay it so that we give young people the time to build their skills but how are those skills being built?”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has long insisted that Australia was leading the world in holding “social media giants to account” and protecting children from harms.

On Sunday, he insisted it’s what Australians wanted and that it was already proving beneficial.

“This is a change that hasn’t come from government. This is a change that has come from parents taking what is a personal tragedy and channelling that into wanting no other parents to go through the heartbreak that they’ve experienced,” the PM told ABC Insiders on Sunday.

“I think it is a success already. Because what’s happening is that parents are having this discussion with their young ones.

“We want kids to have the opportunity to enjoy their childhood and we want parents to be empowered as well to have that discussion.

“We’ll continue, of course, to monitor. But we’ve said very clearly that this won’t be perfect.”

Mr Albanese also highlighted that Australia’s change had prompted similar commitments in Malaysia, New Zealand, and The European Union.

Ms Wells said she’d always warned people not to expect a flawless rollout but believed it was “too important not to have a crack”.

She told Sky on Sunday the ban aimed to save a generation from dangerous algorithms and digital dependence, insisting it was a necessary and world-leading initiative.

“I’ve been saying for months; this is going to look untidy on the way through. It’s a big cultural reform,” she said.

“There will be young adults under-16 who still have an account that hasn’t been deactivated on the 11th. We understand that.”

While the social media ban has bipartisan support, the Opposition has raised concerns about the roll out of it and the preparedness of Australian families.

Liberal Senator James Paterson on Sunday said while the Coalition voted for the ban, the implementation has been poorly handled.

“It has been chaotic and it has been confusing. I’m worried when the ban comes in place on Wednesday, there will be more than just teething problems with it,” Senator Paterson said.

“I am worried that young people are contemplating shifting from one social media platform to another.

“I’m worried that young people will inadvertently be denied access to useful educational materials on platforms like YouTube, which was never intended when the legislation passed.

“The government has made decisions under regulation about which platforms are included, and which ones aren’t, and they have to bear responsibility for how this works in practice.”

Management of Opposition Business Alex Hawke also flagged that he didn’t believe there had been enough preparation for its launch.

“The government thinks governments magically ban things and they’re banned, and this tends to be a Labor philosophy, bans, prohibitions, that magically they will work. It actually requires a lot of hard work,” he said.

“The Minister can’t explain exactly how this will happen, how it will work, what practically will happen.”

Monash University Senior Lecturer of law and regulatory studies Eric Windholz also questioned the effectiveness of the ban saying that prohibition by government rarely worked.

“When governments ban things that people want, people have a way of finding them,” he said.

“Also, when you drive behaviour underground, for want of a better term, you then create opportunities for the really unscrupulous people to take advantage.

“Not only will the people under 16 be looking for alternative sites, there will be people there who there will be people out there who will create those alternative sites for them, and these sites will be less visible than the current sites that kids are using.”

He also stressed that the “whack-a-mole” approach the regulator faced to keep up with children constantly updating their favoured platforms seemed unsustainable.

“There are already reports of kids finding their way to apps that are not covered by the ban . . . It will become a game of whack-a-mole.

“I have no doubt that young people will find another app to go to.

“So, will it be effective? Will it have an effect on some under-16s? I believe, yes. Will it have effect on all of them, I believe, no.”

TOP TIPS FOR PARENTS

• Get your child to download anything they want to keep before accounts are deleted.
• Ask how they’ll stay in touch with friends and set up alternative contact (e.g. phone numbers).
• Check which apps are affected and stay updated on any additions.
• For teens 15+, help with appeals if an account is wrongly shut down.
• Discuss where to get support.
• Remember: platforms, not kids or parents, are responsible for enforcing the ban.
• Visit the eSafety website for reliable info and FAQs.