“Bans feel decisive, but they avoid the harder truth: The digital environment isn’t temporary, and adolescence can’t be postponed until it becomes convenient for adults. We aren’t raising children for a world without algorithms. We are raising them for a world shaped by artificial intelligence, public visibility and constant comparison. Removing access doesn’t build resilience, judgment or self-regulation. It simply delays the moment those skills are required, often until parental influence has weakened. History shows that prohibition rarely produces maturity.”

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https://www.wsj.com/opinion/if-the-kids-are-online-we-should-be-involved-9c6fd4da

If the Kids Are Online, We Should Be Involved

Attention, discipline and judgment are learned at home.

Feb. 26, 2026 11:36 am ET

The global rush to ban teenagers from social media is emotionally understandable — and strategically shortsighted (“Social-Media Bans for Youth Gain Momentum Worldwide,” Page One, Feb. 19).

Bans feel decisive, but they avoid the harder truth: The digital environment isn’t temporary, and adolescence can’t be postponed until it becomes convenient for adults. We aren’t raising children for a world without algorithms. We are raising them for a world shaped by artificial intelligence, public visibility and constant comparison. Removing access doesn’t build resilience, judgment or self-regulation. It simply delays the moment those skills are required, often until parental influence has weakened. History shows that prohibition rarely produces maturity.

Teens need adults who are willing to set clear boundaries, enforce consequences, teach digital literacy and model disciplined use of technology themselves. They need schools that teach attention as a skill. They need policymakers who demand transparency and guardrails from platforms that monetize adolescent engagement.

The real issue isn’t whether teenagers have access to social media. The issue is whether we are willing to do the work of raising them within it. A ban transfers responsibility outward, to governments and corporations. But attention, discipline and judgment are learned at home. If we want contributing adults rather than digitally dependent ones, we should focus less on shielding teenagers from the modern world and more on forming them to navigate it.

Rod Wilson

Seal Beach, Calif.