In your opinion, what should be the minimum age for kids to use social media?

11 or younger (5%) – "I was riding three wheelers and shooting guns at 11. Social media would have suited me well at that age, too.

12 years (7%) – "The ban wont work as the kids are smarter than the people making rules and creating blocks. How about something novel - teach your kids about the world which includes social media. Teach them critical thinking when it comes to anything on the internet. Teach them why they should avoid things on the internet and that if they run into problems they have a support network. Yes its ugly out there in places but kids need to learn how to deal with it unfortunately because that is the world we live in"

13 years (9%) – "13 seems like a good age in my opinion. It's not too early where kids shouldn't have phones or internet access, and not too late so they don't have any experience with social media before adulthood."

14 years (15%) – "16 seems a bit old relative to other milestones in America, such as getting a drivers license. 14 is a middle ground that allows kids to access social media before becoming more independent as they get older. I'm surprised the ban applies even to platforms like YouTube, which contain a significant amount of educational content alongside entertainment videos."

• "Age 14 is on the cusp of some of the greatest responsibilities we offer children who are becoming adults. They have likely begun puberty and will be mentally and physically capable of behaving like adults. Getting social media can become an anticipated responsibility that we prepare for like learning to drive, or researching our political leanings to vote. As a society we can use the ages of 10-14 to prepare our youth for the temptations and pitfalls that are unique to the social media landscape."

15 years (12%) – "At this age, kids are aware of right and wrong and should be shown how to responsibility use social media and know the facts benefits and risks."

16+ years (52%) – "Since the inception of social media and young children having access to it, two prominent things have occurred. First, they have lost the ability to socialize in person with their peers, and secondly, because of the lack of socialization skills, many suffer from mental health issues more so than people that grew up prior to the age of technology."

• "Working with teenagers on a daily basis makes me very aware of the influence that social media has on their developing minds and sense of self. The longer we can delay their intake of and participation in social media the better, especially in its current iteration."

"The data is clear. Social media has greater consequences than benefits. We cannot continue to justify the increased depression, anxiety, grooming, suicide, and mental health crisis to promote connection. Taking away social media will not be a fix-all solution and it will come with its own repercussions and complications; however, it's a step in the right direction. Perhaps education on how to navigate social media for younger generations will help shape healthier relationships with the tech. But keeping kids, during their most vulnerable time in life, away from social media is best. Hopefully it will encourage them to connect in other ways, like face-to-face opportunities."

• "As a high school teacher I can attest to the sharp decline in mental health, resilience, and critical thinking of students in the past 8 or so years. Research is overwhelmingly showing that social media is toxic for them both emotionally and developmentally. I applaud Australia's move to protect the development of their minors, I would love for the United States to follow suit."

"I support Australia's ban in spirit, and glibly would say it should be 25+, and also ban use from those 50+. Truthfully, I think the real solution would be fixing the social media sites themselves, by ensuring proper moderation, close scrutiny of algorithmic feeds, and a crackdown on deceptive advertising and political manipulation. Unfortunately that kind of accountability is in direct opposition to the current party in power in the USA where these social media corporations are based."