Australia enacts landmark social media ban for kids under 16
Image: Rick Rycroft
Over 1 million children and teens under 16 in Australia officially lost access to their social media accounts earlier today, after a world-first ban officially took effect.
The new law applies to Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, X, YouTube, Snapchat, Reddit, Threads, Kick, and Twitch. Starting today, these sites are all required to prevent Australian kids under 16 from owning or registering an account, or risk fines up to $32 million.
Driving the move: The ban follows a national study commissioned this year by the Australian government, which found 96% of the country’s children aged 10-15 use social media.
- The study also found ~70% of those kids have been exposed to harmful content and behavior, including misogynistic material, fight videos, and content promoting eating disorders and/or suicide.
- ~14% also reported having experienced grooming-type behavior from older kids or adults, and more than half said they’d been cyberbullied.
The arguments
Australian officials say the landmark ban, which lawmakers swiftly approved late last year, is intended to protect children from addictive social media platforms that experts say can be disastrous for their mental health.
Supporters of the move—a label that covers two-thirds of Aussie voters—cite many of the statistics listed above, and also say it’ll boost kids’ social skills by encouraging them to prioritize in-person interactions over online ones.
On the flip side: Opponents of the ban, including some parents and children, say it’ll restrict younger Aussies’ ability to express themselves and connect with others, as well as prevent them from having access to crucial online support.
- Younger folks also worry that if they’re blocked entirely from social media, they won’t have the learning experience to know what’s safe and what’s not upon graduating into an increasingly digital world.
- The ban has also faced fierce resistance from social media companies, who argue it will actually make young users less safe by forcing them to use unregulated apps that push them into darker corners of the internet.
Looking ahead…Aussie gov’t officials are partnering with Stanford University experts to closely monitor data about kids’ mental well-being in the aftermath of the new social media ban.
This includes whether kids are sleeping more, going outside more, or taking fewer antidepressants—as well as unintended consequences like whether they’re going to darker areas of the web.
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Sprinkles from the Left
- Some commentators argue that hardline social media age limits won’t save kids from online harm while the apps themselves still represent a significant danger to mental health and wellbeing—but perfect is the enemy of progress, and Aussies deserve credit for trying.
- Others contend that instead of enforcing a blanket social media ban, which will just encourage youngsters to find ways around it, there should be repeated classroom lessons from a young age regarding how to handle social media and its potential dangers.
- “Australia’s Social Media Ban Won’t Save Kids” –Catherine Thorbecke, Bloomberg
- “The more governments try to restrict social media use, the more young people will find ways to get around it” –Leo Puglisi, The Guardian
- “‘Make the platforms safer’: what young people really think about the social media ban” –The Conversation
Sprinkles from the Right
- Some commentators argue that rather than shielding youth from social media and technology with restrictive bans, policymakers should strive to make education as fun and addictive as the gadgets that capture our attention.
- Others contend that tech companies should ultimately bear the responsibility for kids’ online safety, and that protecting children online doesn’t require new technology—but rather the will to use existing tools responsibly, even if Big Tech pushes back.
- “Is AI Making Us Dumb?” –Andy Kessler, WSJ
- “Tech companies are responsible for kids' online safety” –Jared Hayden and Melissa McKay, Deseret
- “In-person conversations the cure for social media silos” –Las Vegas Review-Journal Editorial Board
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