by Joy Pamnani
As governments enforce a social media ban, why is teaching “digital swimming” more effective than simply closing the beach??
My 13th birthday present wasn’t a new dress or a video game; it was my very own Facebook account! Thirteen was the minimum age, and with so many of my friends already online, I quickly became addicted, spending hours scrolling through profiles, liking posts, and playing games. Of course, my grades tanked, and my parents intervened with their own social media ban: my account was to be deactivated, accessible only during the holiday season. It worked. By the time I entered Form 3, I had learned a degree of self-discipline and was only checking in once or twice a day. Mom and Dad cancelled the ban.
Back then, a social media ban was a household rule enforced by frustrated parents, but today, governments are stepping in to do the same on a national level. With ongoing pushes for teen social media bans in places like Australia and Denmark, is it Hong Kong’s turn?
When assessing if a ban makes sense for our city, we have to look at the benefits and harms of social media.
Let’s start with physical health. With childhood obesity rates rising in Hong Kong, it is easy to blame screens for a lack of exercise. But when I was a kid, we simply didn’t have the lightning-fast Wi-Fi speeds or the endless battery life that makes today’s 24/7 digital immersion possible. Yet, the internet isn’t purely a sedentary trap. I was never particularly good at traditional sports like basketball or badminton, but social media has given me access to an online dance community that fostered my active lifestyle. If you know where to look, social media has a ton of free fitness workout videos, saving you the cost of a gym membership.
What about mental health? Today’s teens aren’t just comparing themselves to their classmates; they are comparing themselves to celebrities and KOLs. Fewer likes on an Instagram post creates stress, and excessive use of social media has fueled depression and anxiety, not to mention cyberbullying. In the early days, cyberbullying was often dismissed as a 「first-world problem」 because you could simply turn off the screen and disconnect. But for today’s teens, their entire social lives are online. Asking them to disconnect is essentially asking them to embrace social isolation.
Who can forget the elephant in the room — the impact on grades? Certainly, there’s plenty of educational content available online. I would have loved to grow up with influencers like Mark Rober on YouTube, who teaches complex science concepts through engaging projects rather than rote memorisation. But how many teens are actually using social media for learning?
A debate match between Precious Blood Secondary School (PBSS) and Islamic Kasim Tuet Memorial College (IKTMC)
I recently adjudicated a friendly debate match between Precious Blood Secondary School (PBSS) and Islamic Kasim Tuet Memorial College (IKTMC) about whether a social media ban is right for us. Interestingly, both teams had similar ideas about the benefits and harms of these platforms. The crux of the debate was about whether a complete ban is the right solution. PBSS argued for a total ban, while IKTMC insisted that we should instead focus on reducing time spent on harmful apps.
The Affirmative’s final speaker, Mecheal left the audience with a thought-provoking analogy: 「We set boundaries for swimming pools to prevent kids from drowning. Why then are we letting kids drown in a digital ocean?」
As I evaluated the arguments, I couldn’t help but ask myself a counterquestion: what if, instead of closing the beach, we teach students how to swim?
Yes, there’s plenty of inappropriate content and fake news online, but what if we can teach kids social media literacy? What if we can train them to leverage the benefits of social media and not be prone to its harms?
Finally, would a social media ban even work? As a kid, I remember using puppy-dog eyes to bargain for a few more minutes of screen time, and even actively trying to guess their passwords to get back online. Kids are endlessly resourceful when they are told they can’t have something.
If the government mandates a ban, we have to ask ourselves if today’s digitally native teens will simply outsmart the tech companies and the legislation. With VPNs and fake accounts already acting as common workarounds, a ban might just drive the behaviour underground, removing the very opportunity for parents and educators to guide teens through the very real dangers of the internet.
We have to remember that these teens will become adults soon, stepping into a workforce and a society where the internet is inescapable. We absolutely need to protect our kids from the deep end, but if we spend their formative years just trying to keep them out of the water, they will drown the moment they have to navigate it on their own. ■
Born and raised in HK, Joy Pamnani is an entrepreneur and a Public Speaking & Debate Coach at Inspire2Aspire Consulting.