Adolescence Between the Dominance of Social Media and Family Protection
Adolescence is one of the most sensitive stages in human life; it is the bridge through which a child crosses from the world of childhood to that of maturity and independence. During this stage, personality traits take shape, values crystallize, and adolescents seek their identity and status among others. Consequently, the influences surrounding them can leave a profound impact on their thoughts, behavior, and self-perception and outlook on life. With the digital transformation, social media has become an integral part of our children’s daily lives. Despite their benefits in learning, communication, and global openness, excessive use can trap adolescents in a cycle of comparison, exposure to false idealized images, peer pressure, and a relentless pursuit of likes and acceptance. This can lead to diminished self-confidence, isolation, anxiety, poor concentration, as well as exposure to content inappropriate for their age.
It is from this perspective that the initiative launched by Dr. Amtal Al-Huwailan, Minister of Social Affairs, Labor, and Social Development, regarding the project to regulate the use of mobile phones, deserves gratitude and appreciation. This initiative places the family and the child at the center of attention and opens an important door for societal discourse on the safe and responsible use of technology. Several countries have moved to impose restrictions on mobile phone and social media use among children and adolescents, driven by growing concerns regarding mental health, cyberbullying, digital addiction, and exposure to inappropriate content. International experiences confirm that protection does not mean isolating children from technology, but rather regulating their relationship with it in a manner appropriate to their age and psychological needs.
From our perspective, such regulations can be implemented in Kuwait by establishing appropriate age limits for owning smartphones and social media accounts, setting clear school-based guidelines, activating age-verification tools, and launching awareness programs for parents and children, while preserving space for balanced educational and recreational use. A psychological insight is that adolescents need not only reduced phone usage, but greater family presence. The more a child feels heard, accepted, and loved within their family, the less they will seek their self-worth on a screen or in the number of followers. Ultimately, protecting our children digitally begins, at its core, with building a secure human relationship with them.
