'My daughter spends 5 hours a day on YouTube - social media ban will cause withdrawal symptoms'

'My daughter spends 5 hours a day on YouTube - socia media ban will cause withdrawal symptoms' Lucy Bryan gave her daughter Lois a tablet when she was three and a phone when she was eight — and now fears what the ban will do to her A mother whose 10-year-old daughter spends five hours a day on social media fears the upcoming ban will trigger "withdrawal symptoms". Lucy Bryan, 39, gave her daughter Lois a tablet at the age of three, and a phone when she turned eight. The mum-of-two, who also has a younger daughter, Charlotte, four, says Lois spends up to five hours a day on social media, watching make-up tutorials — something that has left her feeling she looks "ugly" without a full face of make-up, even on a trip to the park. Lucy, from Tamworth, Staffordshire, says social media causes Lois to lash out and suffer mood swings. But when the Government's social media ban for under-16s comes into force in spring 2027, she worries about the toll Lois's addiction withdrawal could take. She is urging the Government to provide greater support to help parents navigate and manage their children's withdrawal from social media. Lucy, who works as a beauty therapist, told Talk to the Press: "When I first heard the announcement, I thought it was brilliant, and the Government was finally seeing sense. "Then I saw how my daughter reacted; she was lashing out and having a tantrum. It made me think about what support parents are going to be given to help kids through the withdrawal symptoms they're going to have from social media addiction. "It will be like suddenly taking cigarettes off a smoker, with no nicotine patches. It's a pandemic; it's robbed kids of their childhood. "She has such bad mood swings. If we tell her she can't use her phone, it creates a bit of a monster. I'm really worried about the long-term effects of it on her mental health." Lois said: "I was so angry when I heard about the ban. I'll really miss social media, especially when I'm bored as I just go on YouTube and start scrolling through make-up videos. "I can see a benefit for children's mental health, because children of this generation are just watching their phones, but in the 80s and 90s, they were playing outside all the time. I do think I've got addicted to it, and it does change my behaviour. My friend already knows a cheat code to get around the ban." When Lois was three, Lucy purchased her an Amazon Fire Tablet, which she used to watch YouTube Kids videos. "I found it really weird that she would sit for hours watching videos of other children playing, instead of playing herself," Lucy said. It was around the age of six that Lois began watching make-up tutorials on YouTube at friends' homes, which sparked a desire in her to start experimenting with make-up herself. "She wants to leave the house with contour, foundation and concealer," said Lucy. "When I tell her she's not allowed, she acts like I'm the worst parent in the world, but what she doesn't realise is that she's making herself look older, which is really scary from a predatory point of view. "She told me she looks ugly without make-up, which really resonated with me, as she's only 10 years old. I'm really worried about body dysmorphia." Lucy reckons that constantly viewing make-up content on social media has pushed Lois to mature far too quickly, giving her the mindset of someone aged 16 or 17. "From age eight, she's not been interested in toys, her Christmas list is all perfume, and skincare," she said. Lois received her first mobile at the age of eight, which Lucy purchased to help keep her safe while playing with friends around the neighbourhood, though she now mainly uses it for browsing YouTube. While Lucy refuses to let Lois create TikTok or Snapchat accounts on her device, she does permit her daughter to use the filters on her own Snapchat profile for taking photographs. "My camera roll is full of pictures of her pouting, it's not what you want to see, she should be playing with toys," she said. Lucy revealed that given free rein, Lois would happily spend entire days glued to YouTube on her mobile. Her social media obsession has taken a toll on her academic performance, and Lucy said she now actively resists going to school, preferring instead to remain at home watching YouTube. When the social media ban takes effect, Lucy fears Lois will attempt to circumvent the rules using methods such as VPNs. She's concerned this could create an atmosphere of dishonesty and concealment amongst youngsters. While Lucy backs the ban, she feels the Government must provide support to help parents identify withdrawal symptoms from social media and manage them effectively. And despite Lois being entirely opposed to the ban at present, Lucy remains optimistic that her daughter will eventually recognise its advantages. "I'm looking forward to 12 months after the ban, when her brain has reset to normality," she said. "I'm so glad my younger daughter, Charlotte, will never have to go through this."