A pupil in Dubai who gave up Instagram for four months has said the negative side effects of prolonged social media use “outweigh the benefits”, as the UAE takes firm action to bolster online safety.
The UAE joins nations including Australia that prohibit under-16s from using social media platforms.
Shanessa Dsouza, 15, said she felt like a weight was lifted from her shoulders when she chose to take a break from the platform.
Her experience underlines the significance of the UAE Cabinet resolution to prohibit children under the age of 15 from using social media.
“Banning social media for kids under 15 is a really smart choice by the government because, while apps like Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat help you connect with your friends, social media can be very, very addictive,” she told The National.
“It can cause negative side effects based on how you view yourself.”
She gave body dysmorphia as an example, with the condition marked by obsessive concerns over perceived flaws in a person’s appearance.
“I feel the negatives outweigh the benefits. So what I did is I gave up Instagram for four months, because I felt it was having a detrimental impact on me. I just needed a break,” Shanessa added.
Social media addiction
From the age of 12, she had given up Instagram every year for a month during Lent. She extended that to four months this year.
“I’m sure many of us can relate – I’ve deleted the app just to re-download it the next day. The only way for me to do it was to go cold turkey,” Shanessa said. ““The main problem I was facing was like an addiction. It was affecting my brain, overstimulating me.
“Your brain can only hold a specific amount of information at a time and I was getting overloaded, bombarded with information I didn’t even need.
“The withdrawals I faced were very strong this year and last year. I was very tempted to go back online. The hardest is the first week.”
She experienced several benefits from the move, such as rediscovering her enjoyment of the outdoors and playing the piano.
“I noticed I was calmer, more peaceful in my mind and heart,” she said. “I felt like a load had been taken off my shoulders because I wasn’t forced to connect, like you sometimes feel you have to otherwise you go through Fomo [fear of missing out].
“I had more clarity, focus. It also helped in academics as I wasn’t constantly being distracted while studying. I started to focus on my physical health.
“You also realise how much time you truly have and how valuable it is. I went to the gym, on longer walks, I was able to focus more on nature. The main thing was it mentally cleared my mind.”
She believes prolonged social media use can have a detrimental effect on children, with the repercussions continuing as they grow older.
“I’ve seen how social media can affect the behaviour of children who are five or six years old,” Shanessa said. “Under 15 is when your identity is formed, you’re developing. These kids are vulnerable and the stimulation causes aggressive behaviour.
“They see violence online and are very easily influenced. This can change the way they think from a young age. They need to play and interact with other children, but social media can cause issues with making friends and increase social isolation.”
Implementation is key
Her mother, Preethi Dsouza, a former teacher, spoke of the challenge ensuring pupils are focused in class and hailed the ban in the UAE.
“I celebrate this decision because, having been a teacher, I’ve seen first-hand how kids are constantly stimulated, dopamine driven – attention spans are going down because their minds are constantly jumping to something else due to social media,” she said.
Alison Burrows, senior lecturer of education at Middlesex University Dubai and a digital well-being expert, said the success of the ban would lie in how it was introduced.
“There is no silver bullet,” she said. “If we draw from evidence of what happened in Australia after their social media ban, we know a lot of kids got around it and some parents actually set up social media accounts for their kids anyway.
“I welcome and support it but the ban has to be executed correctly and with accountability. The government is going to learn from other countries where the implementation has been hard.
“The more countries that sign on to these social media bans, the more pressure it puts on tech companies to design products for kids that are safety tested and that support child development.
In the UAE, Meta recently enlisted parent influencers in an awareness drive to help keep children safe online. The company launched a project to shield teenagers from harmful content on Instagram amid growing calls for platforms to do more to protect children from online addiction.
Relief for parents
Georgia Mathieu, a mother of three in Abu Dhabi, also welcomed the ban in the UAE.
“I know I am not the only parent who is over the Moon with this news,” she said. “My eldest son is 11, an age where some of his friends are starting to get their own mobile phones. I feel this decision is crucial in protecting today’s youth. As a parent this law makes it easier to push back without our kids feeling ostracised.”
Abu Dhabi resident Rachel Couffignals, who has two daughters, also praised the move. “Even families who choose not to allow social media at home find their children exposed to its influence through friends, classmates, school buses and play dates,” she said. “For many parents, managing that exposure is a constant challenge.
Phil Johnson contributed to this report
