Australia’s decision to ban social media for anyone under 16 has created a blueprint for other countries. In the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Keir Starmer recently stated that “no options are off the table” regarding a similar ban, following pressure from over 60 members of his own party. Meanwhile, France is debating a bill that would set a digital majority age of 15, with plans to enforce the ban by September 2026. Major social media companies such as Meta Platforms (META) and Snap (SNAP) face multi-million-dollar fines if they don’t comply.
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Other nations joining the movement include:
- Malaysia: Confirmed a ban for under-16s starting in 2026.
- Norway and Denmark: Both are moving forward with plans to restrict access for those under 15.
- Spain: Set to raise its minimum age for social media use from 14 to 16.
Pros: Protecting Mental Health and Safety
Supporters of these bans argue they are necessary to combat a mental health epidemic among teenagers. By removing young children from algorithm-driven feeds, governments hope to reduce exposure to cyberbullying, predatory behavior, and addictive features like infinite scroll.
- Reduced Harm: Initial reports from Australia suggest children are already becoming more “social and outgoing” offline since the ban began.
- Corporate Accountability: The laws impose massive fines, up to $33 million (AU$49.5 million) per violation, forcing companies to take age verification seriously for the first time.
Cons: Privacy Risks and Darker Corners
Critics, including the tech companies themselves, warn that these bans may do more harm than good. A major concern is that children will simply migrate to less-regulated, darker corners of the web where there is even less oversight.
- Privacy Concerns: Effective enforcement often requires “age-assurance” technology, such as facial scans or government ID uploads, which raises significant data privacy issues.
- Bypassing the Ban: Tech-savvy teens are already using VPNs and falsified birth dates to stay online. In Australia, some 13-year-olds reported that they simply “pressed OK” on notifications and kept their accounts.
Social Media Companies Are Not Giving Up without a Fight
Social media companies are not giving up without a fight. Reddit (RDDT) has filed a lawsuit in Australia’s High Court, arguing the ban violates “constitutional freedom of political communication.” In the United States, a similar battle is unfolding in Florida. While a federal appeals court recently cleared the way for Florida to enforce its own ban for children under 14, tech industry groups continue to challenge the law on First Amendment grounds.
Key Takeaway
To put it simply, the era of self-regulation for social media is over. Governments are no longer asking companies to be safer; they are mandating it with the threat of massive fines. While these bans are a blunt instrument that may be hard to enforce perfectly, they represent a desperate attempt by world leaders to take back power from platforms that they believe are harming the next generation. Whether this leads to healthier kids or just better-hidden accounts remains to be seen.
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