Social Media Bans Fail Black Youth as a Long-Term Solution

In this article for the Brookings Institution, author Ashley Stewart considers the growing push to ban or restrict social media access for young people, arguing that broad age-based bans may create unintended consequences, particularly for marginalized youth. While concerns about social media’s effects on mental health and attention are legitimate, Stewart argues that policymakers should focus on the design and business models that drive harmful engagement rather than treating access itself as the problem.

The author highlights how Black teenagers use social media differently from many of their peers. Black teens are more likely to use platforms such as TikTok and to rely on them for news, public information, acceptance, and social support. Because social media can serve as an important source of community and connection, particularly where physical community spaces and local news outlets are limited, blanket bans could deepen existing inequalities in access to information and support.

Instead of outright bans, Stewart advocates for youth-centered and equity-oriented policies that regulate harmful platform features, including personalized recommendation systems, autoplay, infinite scroll, and default profiling. She also calls for greater investment in physical spaces such as community centers, libraries, and after-school programs, alongside stronger digital and AI literacy education to help young people navigate increasingly influential technologies.

Ultimately, Stewart argues that young people should be central to technology policy decisions rather than bearing the costs of platforms’ design choices. Emerging approaches in the EU and Vermont seek to regulate addictive and manipulative design without eliminating access, but Stewart emphasizes that regulation must be paired with stronger offline infrastructure. For Black youth in particular, effective policy should address both exploitative digital mechanisms and the lack of accessible, supportive physical spaces…

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