What Fashion Needs to Know About Gen Alpha’s Social Media Restrictions

If there is a term that is associated with Gen Alpha, the cohort of young people born after 2010, it would be “chronically online.” Parents, teachers and children’s advocates have long voiced concerns about the psychological repercussions of such behaviour, and finally, the government is stepping in.

Lawmakers across the US are proposing and passing legislation that would restrict children’s access to their phones and to social media platforms such as Instagram, with most citing a US Surgeon General warning that the devices distract students in class and can cause mental health harm.

Restrictive policies have been enacted in at least 15 states with bipartisan support. Last year, Florida became the first state in the US to issue a statewide ban barring students from using smartphones during class time. The Florida law also requires school districts to block student’s access to social media sites like TikTok while using school WiFi.

Countries including Australia, Malaysia, Pakistan, France and Singapore have announced intentions to propose similar phone and social media restrictions for children. Last year, Australia enacted a ban on cellphone use in public schools.

For marketers, these laws will have far-reaching effects on how — and whether — they can now reach this group of young consumers as they gain purchasing power.

“Children are starting to learn about brands much younger, and are developing brand loyalty between 13 and 17,” Dona Fraser, senior vice president of privacy initiatives at BBB National Programs and head of the organisation’s Children Advertising Review Unit. “Without avenues like social media, brands have a tough time ahead when it comes to winning this group over.”

Why are laws restricting phone usage and social media among children becoming so commonplace?

US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and a number of lawmakers point to social media’s negative impact on youth mental health and the potential for these sites to facilitate cyberbullying. Murthy has called for social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram to carry warning labels, similar to those found on cigarettes and other addictive substances, as they help contribute to feelings of anxiety and depression among young people.

Nearly half — 42 percent — of American children own a smartphone by age 10, according to a 2021 study by non-profit organisation Common Sense. The number jumps to 91 percent by age 14. Screen time for children between 8 and 12 reached an average of five and a half hours.

Research on factors contributing to adverse childhood mental health outcomes, however, is mixed, as it is difficult to isolate social media from other experiences, such as bullying, stress, and violence, that children might face.

Still, outspoken figures like Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist and researcher, argue that smartphone use hinders childhood development. More than 70 percent of high school teachers say cellphones are a significant distraction in classrooms, according to a survey from Pew Research Centre.

What are the new phone ban laws?

California, Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Virginia have recently passed laws that require school districts to enact policies that govern the possession and use of smartphones during school hours.

The latest policy, signed into law in California in September and dubbed the Phone-Free Schools Act, is meant to “help students focus on academics, social development, and the world in front of them, not their screens, when they’re in school,” according to Gov. Gavin Newsom. Schools and districts will be required to implement the new policies to rein in cellphone use in classrooms starting in July 2026.

States like Florida, Louisiana and South Carolina have gone a step further, opting for a statewide ban on cellphone-use in schools. In South Carolina, the legislature goes so far as to limit access to state funding if a school district does not adhere to the new law.

A number of states are now considering similar policies, which typically garner bipartisan support. Alabama, Connecticut, Oklahoma and Washington have urged school district officials to propose a solution to excessive cell phone use during class time, while Pennsylvania, Delaware and Arkansas are financially incentivising schools to restrict cell phone use.

In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul has embarked on a “listening tour” where she will meet with state lawmakers, schools and parents before unveiling a policy later this year.

What are the new laws around social media use?

In addition to restricting smartphone use during the school day, states including California and New York are cracking down on the use of social media by tweens and teens.

Gov. Newsom of California signed into law last month legislation that would require social media platforms to address social media addiction among young people. The law mandates that platforms like Instagram show its younger users content in chronological order and content only from their followers and with the exception of outside content from topics they select as interests, as opposed to using algorithms to generate content from users they’re not currently following to maximise their time spent on the app.

Additionally, social media sites will be prohibited under the California law from sending young users notifications during school hours on weekdays (8 a.m. to 3 p.m.) throughout the school year as well as during sleep hours (12 a.m. to 6 a.m.).

In June, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law the SAFE for Kids Act, which seeks to address social media addiction among children. Like California’s, the New York law requires tech companies to restrict the feeds of children under 18 and prohibits social media sites from sending minors notifications between midnight and 6 a.m. The law also limits websites from collecting, using, sharing or selling personal data of anyone under the age of 18.

How have social media sites responded?

Instagram and TikTok have proactively tweaked their policies to align with the new US laws.

Last month, Instagram unveiled a slew of changes designed to beef up the security of minors and limit the app’s features designed to keep users on the site for as long as possible.

Dubbed “Teen Accounts,” Instagram accounts of users younger than 18 will be made private by default and will not send notifications during sleep hours. Parents and guardians will be able to see who their teen has been in contact with as well as which topics they have elected to follow.

On TikTok, users between ages 13 and 18 are subject to an automatic 60-minute screen-time limit, though the limit can be extended without parental approval. Users under 13 require parental approval in order to resume interacting with the platform. Users under 13 cannot post or comment on videos they see on their feeds and the accounts of users under 15 are set to private by default.

What does this mean for companies advertising on these platforms?

In recent years, as social media platforms have embraced the algorithmic approach to displaying content to users — rather than just displaying content from the people they follow — they’ve allowed advertisers and influencers to reach a new and wider swathe of consumers, including children and teens.

Age restrictions on algorithm-generated content will likely reverse this opportunity for brands, experts say.

On Instagram, for instance, young users will only be able to see relevant content from selected themes such as dance or sports that will appear on their feeds from users they don’t follow. Everything else, from makeup videos to influencer posts, will not be visible unless they follow the particular user.

Additionally, with increased restrictions on how brands collect data on young people being imposed, it will be more difficult for brands to track how Gen Alpha interacts with their brands and products online.

Brands looking to service this consumer will have to rely on “old-school” methods of advertising, said Fraser, who added that brands have been using social media as a crutch when it comes to Gen Alpha.

“The brands need to go outside,” said Fraser. Labels can invest in marketing across other platforms that Gen Alpha may be present in, including Twitch and Roblox. Brands can also explore on-the-ground marketing such as at concerts and on billboards.

The policies will force brands to get to know their consumers better, Fraser added, instead of relying on algorithms and influencers. Ultimately, the new restrictive laws will create healthier habits among young consumers — and perhaps incentivise brands to build stronger relationships with the Gen Alpha cohort.