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Rethinking experiences for young people outside social media.
Australia has made the decision to ban children under 16 from accessing social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. The Prime Minister said that it puts Australia at the vanguard of efforts to protect the mental health and well-being of children from detrimental effects of social media, such as online hate or bullying.
This policy isn’t just a step forward for youth protection; it’s also a turning point for digital designers. Without social media, we need to rethink how we design for an audience outside the reach of algorithms. And that’s a good thing.
My point here isn’t to debate the ban — which I fully support — but to explore what this means for digital services that rely on social media, and more importantly, for responsible design. This moment calls us to think beyond the obvious and embrace more thoughtful solutions focused on ethically protecting and engaging young people.
I had been following this topic closely, and the day the decision was announced, the impact on social login popped into my mind while I was driving. That thought is what led me to start writing, trying to understand how this change affects digital design more broadly.
Social login is one of those brilliant ideas that ended up becoming a standard. It was marketed as the solution to everything: less friction, more speed, greater personalization. And indeed, it brought benefits:
- One-click forms
- Auto-validated profiles
- Convenient — at least it seems so
But convenience comes at a cost. Over the years, social login has become part of the machinery for services that not only depend on it but have built their strategies around hyper-personalized profiles and addictive algorithms. Additionally, the fact that young people are present on social media has enabled the creation of interfaces and interaction flows designed to maximize engagement, exploiting behaviors ranging from seeking social validation to binge consumption of content.
If social login is removed from the equation, and if the presence of this audience on social platforms decreases, how will these services adapt? More importantly: is this the moment to rethink strategies that prioritize screen time over well-being?
Without social media as mediators, digital services need to adapt to this new landscape.
1. The end of social login’s comfort zone
Platforms like games and educational tools must rethink entry flows without social login:
- Rethink entry flows: How do you avoid friction when social login is no longer an option?
- Offer more intuitive and secure methods, such as simplified email authentication.
2. Identity management: A new burden for young people
For those who grew up with “one-click login,” creating and managing multiple accounts could become a new source of friction:
- More credentials to remember, more passwords to forget.
- A higher risk of losing access to important services.
3. Redefining forms and experiences
Forms need to evolve. Simplicity is no longer optional; it’s mandatory:
- Fewer fields, more automation.
- Clear instructions to ensure accurate data entry.
When social media stops being the backbone of digital experiences:
Personalization without profiles
Without direct access to social media data, how can we offer relevant content without invading users’ privacy? This is an invitation to explore personalization models that respect users rather than exploit them.
An opportunity for healthy disconnection
Without incessant notifications and endless feeds, young people can rediscover the world beyond screens. For designers, this means creating digital experiences that complement, rather than compete with, offline life.
Perhaps issues like this should be solved at home with community support, without state interference. I say this as a father of two children, with whom I work daily to balance screen time and offline activities. But the truth is that things have spiraled out of control. Unchecked access to social media goes beyond the family sphere and has already impacted society on a structural level. Decisions like this are necessary, even if they force us to rethink practices and responsibilities that should ideally be resolved at home.