Vietnamese children remain vulnerable to social media risks: opinion

Debate is growing over whether children should be banned from using social media.

Some argue that instead of imposing strict restrictions, the solution should focus on building ‘three layers of protection,’ including family guidance, school support, and equipping children with skills to navigate the Internet safely.

Don’t expect willpower from children

Social media operates like a ‘super salesperson’ hidden behind a screen.

It quietly observes what children like, where they pause, what keeps them engaged, then continuously feeds them similar content to hold their attention for as long as possible.

It resembles a never-ending bag of snacks: the moment one piece of content ends, another instantly appears.

There is no natural stopping point, making it increasingly difficult to pull away.

Many parents say their children only intended to watch for five minutes, yet when they look back, one or two hours has passed unnoticed.

In such an environment, one deliberately designed to maximize engagement, expecting a child to simply stop through willpower alone is unrealistic.

Children certainly need to learn how to filter information, manage screen time, and protect themselves online.

But skills alone are unlikely to be enough if protection depends entirely on a child’s self-control while digital platforms are engineered to constantly attract and prolong attention.

More worrying is the long-term impact this has on children’s development.

A child’s brain is still forming habits of thinking and emotional regulation, much like soft clay being shaped over time.

Constant exposure to rapid stimulation can make children less patient with reading, less willing to think deeply, and more irritable when separated from their phones.

Difficulty concentrating for more than 10-15 minutes, frustration when being reminded to stop using devices, or only eating while watching a screen has become increasingly familiar signs.

When repeated frequently, these are no longer merely issues of discipline, but indications that habits may already be influencing how the brain functions.

When a child spends thousands of hours each year consuming short-form, fast-paced content, what is lost is not only time, but also the ability to focus, think deeply, and exercise self-control, foundations that are essential for their future.

Protecting children from social media risks is not only family responsibility

While parents try to control children’s screen use through time limits, content filters, and app monitoring, technology platforms are simultaneously designed to observe user behavior and continuously deliver even more engaging content.

Relying solely on parental supervision is unlikely to fully protect children, and not every family has the capacity to constantly monitor their child’s online activity.

Protecting children online should not rest solely on individual families, but requires broader social responsibility.

That is why clearer guidance and stronger regulations are needed to ensure digital platforms are designed with safety in mind from the beginning, including creating natural stopping points instead of endless streams of content engineered to prolong attention.

Restrictions on smartphone use in schools should also be viewed as a public health measure, similar to how society protects children from cigarette smoke or alcohol exposure.

Managing cross-border technology platforms is undoubtedly difficult, but children cannot simply be left to navigate an environment filled with powerful psychological influences on their own.

This is not only a technology issue, but also a question of how future generations develop habits, self-control, and the ability to manage their own attention.

Creating safer information environments for children, whether through government regulations, school policies, or family supervision, is necessary to give them time to build a stronger foundation before being fully exposed to the digital world.

What may be most concerning is not the change itself, but the silence of adults in response to it.

Several countries have already banned children under 16 from using social media.

The question facing Vietnam is whether similar restrictions are needed or how society should respond to the growing consequences of social media addiction among children today.