Hobart neuroscientist Lila Landowski explains why Australia’s social media ban for under-16s will be good for kids’ brains
A Hobart leading brain expert has revealed the "critical levers" young people miss when scrolling social media, as companies begin deleting under-16 accounts ahead of next week's ban.
Hobart neuroscientist Lila Landowski has spoken of the positive effects of young people spending less time on social media ahead of Australia’s under-16 ban next Wednesday
“There’s a lot for the brain to gain from spending less time on social media – especially the brains of young people,” Dr Landowski said.
“When you’re on social media, you’re not engaging with people face-to-face, and chances are, you’re also sitting down inside, and staying up late. This is a problem, because socialising face-to-face, exercise, sleep and spending time outdoors are the critical levers of good brain health – and the less we have, the less resilient we are, and the more likely we are to have poor mental health and develop neurodegenerative diseases like dementia.”
Dr Landowski’s comments come just days before the federal government’s world-leading official ban on social media access for under-16s in Australia, which was inspired by News Corp Australia’s Let Them Be Kids campaign.
Some social media companies have already started deleting or deactivating the accounts of under-16s, ahead of December 10.
Dr Landowski, a researcher at the University of Tasmania, worked with 12-year-old Friends School student Flossie Brodribb who decided to test the claims from her parents that social media was bad for children and their developing brains
Flossie said she found out about the dopamine loop from social media scrolling.
“Because you’re on social media and you’re scrolling, you’re constantly getting these dopamine hits all the time and it makes real life seem really boring because in real life you’re craving these hits,” she said.
“After I researched I talked to my friends about it … And then I made a pledge where people could write their names on it saying they won’t go on social media until they’re over 16.”
Dr Landowski, who is a Fides health ambassador for the World Health Organisation, said humans were a social species, so connecting with people face-to-face was incredibly important.
“In fact human connection is one of the best predictors of health and happiness in later life. When you’re hanging out with people you like (especially if you engage in physical contact), it releases neurochemicals like oxytocin and dopamine that make you feel good and feel more connected; you release endorphins which reduce pain levels, and it leads to lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
“If face-to-face connection with people is like a nutritious meal for the brain, then texting online is the nutritional equivalent of eating a jelly bean – your brain might release some dopamine, but you don’t get that protective cocktail of neurochemicals.
Dr Landowski said that for young brains, play and face-to-face socialising was especially important.
“It is more than just messing around. It allows kids to learn how to communicate wants and needs, learn how to read emotions, to learn how to be fair and kind, to learn principles of what’s naughty and nice.
“Teens test boundaries to learn what’s socially appropriate, so they can develop this internal program of understanding how to navigate the world.
“But if you don’t communicate face-to-face much, you’ll go into a social setting and feel awkward and out of your depth – you’ll misunderstanding subtle cues from others and feel misunderstood yourself, you’ll read neutral cues as rejection. So of course you’ll be more likely to develop social anxiety.”
Originally published as Hobart neuroscientist Lila Landowski explains why Australia’s social media ban for under-16s will be good for kids’ brains
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