

ew Zealand should copy the Australian ban on social media for children under 16, a public health researcher says.
The Australian government said it would pass a law banning social media for children under 16. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced yesterday that a bill will be introduced to parliament within weeks.
Under the law, social media platforms like X, TikTok and Instagram would be responsible for working out how to block children under 16 from using the sites.
Read the full article on RNZ.

This systematic review synthesised evidence on the influence of social media use on depression, anxiety and psychological distress in adolescents. All domains correlated with depression, anxiety and psychological distress.
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Although many youth may not be harmed by heavy SMU, distressed youth may be particularly vulnerable. The aim of this study was to experimentally examine the effects of reducing SMU on smartphones on symptoms of depression, anxiety, fear of missing out (FoMO), and sleep in youth with emotional distress. Compared to the control group, the intervention group showed significantly greater reductions in symptoms of depression, anxiety, and FoMO, and greater increases in sleep.
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