In today’s digital age, social media has become an integral part of children’s daily lives, fundamentally shaping how they interact, communicate, and build friendships. While these platforms enable children to connect with peers, they also expose them to risks such as cyberbullying, harmful content, misinformation, online predators, and unhealthy patterns of screen use.
In response to these concerns, governments around the world are increasingly considering regulatory measures to restrict children’s access to social media. Although such measures may be well-intentioned, they do not fully address the underlying factors driving children’s growing dependence on these platforms.
In an article published in The Daily Star on 12 July 2026, LIRNEasia Senior Research Fellow Sujata Gamage argues that society has steadily taken away the physical spaces where children can form meaningful friendships, engage in stimulating activities, and develop healthy behaviours. With parents growing more concerned about children’s safety, schools often close their gates after lessons, while community playgrounds continue to disappear. This has increasingly limited opportunities for children to socialise and participate in community life, and as a result, many children may feel confined to their homes. In this context, social media has filled the vacuum left by the disappearance of physical social spaces.
While recognising that digital platforms are not suitable environments for children, Sujata argues that the long-term solution lies in rebuilding the safe physical spaces children have lost. Creating more places where children can meet, play, learn, explore, and spend time with their peers can provide healthier opportunities for social connection and reduce the isolation that can drive children towards digital platforms.
She also highlights the importance of parents and caregivers modelling healthier digital habits. Children learn from what they see at home, making it important for parents to be mindful of their own social media use and limit screen time during family time.
Therefore, she argues, the debate should move beyond the false choice between unrestricted social media and outright prohibition. Instead, we need to rebuild the social ecology of family and childhood, in which children can socialise independently and safely, parents have their own time, and families can then spend quality time together.
