AlJazeera

A user in Australia attempts to access Instagram, which falls under the country’s social media ban.

As of Dec.10, 2025, all social media has been banned for under-16s in Australia. Apps such as Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, TikTok, and YouTube are off limits for about 2.5 million Australian teens. Supporters of the ban argue that the ban is needed to protect the mental health and well-being of children and teens. However, critics argue the real fix should be protecting all social media users with stronger protection laws. 

According to CNN, this is the world’s first social media ban for children, and other countries are watching to see how everything plays out. 

SHHS student, Joel Lewison (10), gave his thoughts on what he would think if the ban were brought to the US.

“I think it would benefit us because kids would change their focus, instead of trying to be famous on social media and not do any work, I think it will make them wanna do better in school,”  Lewison said.

SHHS student, Sofia Harwood (11) discussed what she thought if the US implemented the ban. 

“I use social media regularly to connect with my peers, but I believe it would ultimately be a good thing for the youth who is addicted to social media,” Harwood said.

Critics of the social media ban have stated that the last resort should be taking freedom away from parents- taking away people’s choices is a slippery slope. Program Director at Amnesty Tech said that “Rather than banning children and young people from social media, the Australian Government should impose strict regulation on platforms to better protect children’s privacy, right to peaceful assembly online, right to health and freedom of expression.”

SHHS student Diego Veliz (11) agrees that the ban is harmful.

“I think it limits young people’s way to express themselves and connect with others,” Veliz said.

SHHS student Gabriel Grandes (11) expressed his concern for future generations.

“To break apart the youth of a country as reliant on technology as they are will separate the younger generation from each other,” Grandes said.

In a CNN article, two teens from Australia have already planned to sue the country and get the law blocked, claiming that it violates their right to political expression. 

An article by BBC News states that there is growing concern about the age verification process for these teens. Some argue that restricting access for these kids runs the risk of pushing them to unregulated ways of verification. 

Some teens have already started to bypass the ban. Many teenagers have said in the weeks since the law took effect that they were able to get around the ban by lying about their age, or that they could easily bypass verification systems. 

While it’s too soon to determine the ban’s effectiveness, the international community is watching to see what happens next.