Health and behavioural issues and related concerns among students has led to an ongoing debate on the use of social media by schoolchildren and its impact. The discussion has grabbed the attention of the Education Ministry, leading to it issuing guidelines to be followed by schools and students.
The Ministry of Education issued a circular on 8 November, providing seven guidelines for teachers and other relevant parties involved in student education on using social media applications for school education and communication purposes.
This follows a broader dialogue about social media usage among school-going children, coinciding with the Australian Government’s announcement of a proposed ban on social media for children under the age of 16.
During the Covid-19 lockdown, social media became a vital asset for students and educational institutions. Schools and private tuition institutes created WhatsApp and Telegram groups to facilitate communication, disseminate information, inform students about Zoom sessions, and share educational materials.
Post-pandemic, social media remains a crucial tool, especially for online private tuition classes, which gained popularity during the lockdown. Additionally, schools continue to use WhatsApp groups to maintain communication among teachers, parents, and students.
However, concerns are mounting that the surge in social media usage in education may contribute to mental health challenges among children.
Mental health challenges
Speaking to The Sunday Morning, SLIIT Faculty of Humanities and Sciences School of Psychology Clinical Psychologist and Senior Lecturer Lakmal Ponnamperuma said that excessive social media use among children had been linked to increasing psychological difficulties, according to global research and Sri Lankan studies conducted over the last 2–4 years (post-2021).
He explained that excessive social media usage often led to depressive experiences, which differed from major depressive disorder. “While depressive experiences may not disrupt or disable a person’s life to the extent of major depression, if left untreated and unnoticed, they can evolve into a serious depressive condition,” Ponnamperuma said.
He also highlighted that extended screen time increased children’s vulnerability to cyberbullying, as evidenced in global literature. “Local authorities have also reported incidents of cyberbullying and sexual harassment, especially among female children, with rates significantly higher during the Covid-19 lockdown.”
In Sri Lanka, social media has become a primary means of connection for young people, especially during the lockdown period. A study conducted by Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in collaboration with local authorities found that children aged 11 to 15 were the most affected group in terms of psychological problems during Covid-19.
“In school, children were highly interactive with their friends, but during the lockdown, this interaction was lost. Not being close to their parents further drove them to use social media excessively,” Ponnamperuma explained. He noted that this overuse often led to social comparison and a need for validation from others, making children more susceptible to low self-esteem.
Excessive reliance on social media
Ponnamperuma argued that the problem was not digital screens but the excessive reliance on social media. During the pandemic, schools heavily depended on social media platforms to cover syllabi, which he critiqued: “Education should not just cover the syllabus using social media. Teachers should inspire children to learn and provide the necessary materials to foster self-study.”
The continuation of online education after the lockdown has prolonged children’s screen exposure, affecting their sleep quality and attention span. Referring to workshops conducted by Dr. Lalith Mendis, which suggest avoiding screen use from 6–9 p.m., he said: “This period is ideal for planning and creative thinking. Excessive screen use during this time reduces productivity.”
In addition, he said that there were some brain areas which could become inactive due to excessive screen use, which leads to reduced attention span in specific regions of the brain. Unlike in school, where children engage in physical activities such as walking around or playing with friends, excessive screen time during online education keeps them sedentary for prolonged periods.
Ponnamperuma also emphasised that prolonged reliance on social media for education increased loneliness and social isolation, as children may prioritise online interaction over face-to-face communication. “Face-to-face interaction develops essential social skills like independent problem-solving and resilience, which are lost when children interact exclusively through social media.”
Proper parenting and guidance
Ponnamperuma suggested that children under six should not have any screen exposure, while children aged 6–19 years should have supervised device usage.
He stressed the importance of children developing social skills and emotional maturity before engaging with social media. “By adulthood, they should be capable of handling social media content, which requires specific developmental skills,” he explained.
He underscored the need for proper parenting, where children felt loved and emotionally supported: “A study conducted by NGOs and local authorities found that children aged 11–16 were most affected during Covid-19 because they didn’t have anyone to interact with. This isolation led them to seek alternatives, sometimes resulting in child abuse incidents or inappropriate relationships with much older adults.”
Ponnamperuma advised that 1–2 hours of social media use daily was acceptable, provided children performed well academically and maintained healthy social interactions. However, parents should monitor for warning behaviours, including social withdrawal, irritability when disconnected from social media, dropping academic performance, and extended screen time (6–7 hours or more).
He also explained that dopamine, a neurotransmitter that motivated goal pursuit, played a role in compulsive behaviours associated with social media. Children often seek immediate gratification through endless scrolling, which offers only short-lived satisfaction.
Supervised usage
Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (Sri Lanka CERT) Lead Information Security Engineer Charuka Damunupola highlighted how parents could supervise children’s social media usage.
“Meta has introduced a few features for parental control in Instagram, including a ‘team function,’ where parents can supervise children who are using social media. TikTok also offers this functionality; parents can link their accounts with their children’s accounts, allowing them to monitor their activity,” he said.
Damunupola noted that, in terms of imposing restrictions on social media, the most effective method was to collaborate with social media platform providers.
Mechanisms for child protection
Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Attorney-at-Law Viranjana Herath noted that Sri Lanka had several legislative frameworks to protect children from online risks, including the Online Safety Act, Computer Crime Act, relevant sections of the Penal Code, and the Personal Data Protection Act.
Herath stated that implementing age-based social media restrictions in Sri Lanka, similar to those proposed in Australia, would be challenging but feasible. However, he said that establishing age verification methods that respect user privacy and ensuring compliance by international social media platforms would be difficult.
He highlighted the need to consider social acceptance, cultural sensitivities, and digital literacy rates as these factors possibly may affect the practicality and acceptance of such restrictions.
Herath also emphasised the importance of a collaborative approach to successfully implement such restrictions: “Enforcement requires robust technological solutions and collaboration with social media companies to monitor and restrict underage access. Addressing these challenges through comprehensive policy planning, technical infrastructure, and public awareness initiatives will be essential for successful implementation.”
However, he acknowledged that these laws required modernisation to address the unique challenges posed by social media.
“While these laws provide a foundation for addressing cyberbullying, online grooming, and privacy breaches, many were enacted before the rapid expansion of social media. We require real-time content moderation, age-appropriate privacy protections, and swift mechanisms for reporting and redressing online harm,” he said.
He further highlighted that strengthening these laws to be more adaptable to digital trends would better protect children and empower authorities to respond swiftly to new online threats.
Numerous challenges
Herath disclosed that law enforcement agencies in Sri Lanka faced numerous challenges in enforcing child protection laws on social media, citing jurisdictional challenges, limited resources for cyber investigations, insufficient specialised training in handling online child protection cases, and difficulties in obtaining cooperation from global social media companies.
He added: “Additionally, law enforcement lacks advanced digital forensic tools to effectively trace, document, and prosecute online offenders.”
Herath also highlighted the necessity of increased investment in specialised cybercrime units, continuous training on digital safety for law enforcement personnel, and stronger international collaboration with social media companies and foreign governments to enhance enforcement. “Establishing dedicated child protection units within cybercrime divisions could also improve focused efforts on protecting children online,” he said.
According to him, although limited, legal resources for children and families affected by online harms in Sri Lanka are accessible through channels such as the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA), Police cybercrime units, and selected NGOs offering legal support.
“Families can seek legal redress by reporting incidents to these authorities, who can guide them through the process of filing complaints and pursuing justice,” he said.
Herath further emphasised the pressing need to raise awareness about these resources and streamline processes to make them more child-friendly: “Establishing dedicated support hotlines, providing simplified reporting mechanisms, and enhancing collaboration with schools to inform parents and children about these resources will make it easier for families to access legal recourse.”
Valuable lessons
Herath asserted that Sri Lanka could learn valuable lessons from countries like the UK, Australia, and those of the European Union (EU), which had implemented comprehensive policies for children’s online safety, including age-appropriate content filters, mandatory parental controls, and child-friendly reporting systems.”
He pointed out that adapting these approaches required understanding Sri Lanka’s specific cultural and legal context.
“For instance, ensuring that protections respect local privacy norms, creating multi-language support systems, and engaging with families to foster community-driven awareness about online safety can enhance these protections.
“Developing partnerships with tech companies, schools, and child advocacy groups to create educational campaigns and tailored safety protocols would also be effective in creating a secure online environment for Sri Lankan children,” he said.
According to Damunupola, 114 cases related to children were reported in 2024 alone, with 45 cases involving sexual harassment. “When we look at the cases reported, the majority relate to the sharing of sexually explicit images and harassment. Others primarily involve cyberbullying and hateful or abusive content.”
He added that Sri Lanka CERT did not have investigative or law enforcement powers but focused on providing technical assistance.
“For example, if someone – such as a guardian or parent – requests content removal from the internet, especially pornographic sites, we assist them. In cases involving social media, the Computer Crime Investigation Division (CCID) handles such matters. If they require further assistance, we forward the request to the NCPA,” he said.
Damunupola highlighted that the Health Promotion Bureau had released a campaign, although he was unsure if it had been made public yet. “It has issued a series of social media posts and a few alerts on how to set up data control and technically block certain sites,” he said.
He further explained that the Education Ministry, with CERT’s involvement, was preparing to train teachers: “EduCERT is planning to train 8,000 to 10,000 teachers, especially ICT teachers, on how to report incidents so students can approach them.”
He noted that although the project had been paused due to Covid, it was set to resume in the next phase: “In the coming months, we will move into the provincial levels to spread this message and target the majority of teachers in those areas as well.”
NCPA role
When contacted, NCPA Director General Anoma Siriwardena noted that the authority had signed an MOU with Dialog and was conducting awareness sessions in schools collaboratively.
These sessions aim to teach parents how to control social media usage among children, including blocking unwanted sites and promoting healthy social media habits. In partnership with Sri Lanka CERT, they are also leading a series of awareness initiatives.
“Our officers are trained to conduct these sessions whenever schools request,” Siriwardena stated.
She further highlighted incidents where children faced blackmail, often involving partners sharing their inappropriate photos following a breakup. In such cases, the NCPA takes measures to have the content removed when they are reported.
“The NCPA has signed an MOU with the Internet Watch Foundation in the UK on behalf of Sri Lanka to facilitate the removal of such material from the internet,” she explained. She added that in a situation where a child requested assistance to remove such material without informing their parents, the NCPA handled the matter confidentially.
She stressed the importance of parents educating children not to share risky photos with anyone, stressing that prevention was better than taking corrective action.
Siriwardena further stated that considering the increasing trend of child abuse, Sri Lanka must take necessary measures to implement age restrictions on children’s use of social media. She underscored that this would require the Government and other relevant stakeholders to take decisive action.