Australia implements under 16 social media ban: Should we?

By Easton Martin | December 9, 2025

Australia has adopted a national policy that restricts children under the age of 16 from using major social media platforms, creating one of the strictest youth online safety frameworks in the world. The law shifts responsibility onto tech companies, requiring them to prevent underage access instead of punishing families or children.

Policy proponents point to serious and growing threats that children face. Online catfishing by adult predators has risen dramatically, with children being manipulated, groomed, and exploited through fake identities. Cyberbullying has escalated beyond school yards and into homes, following children 24 hours a day and in some cases driving them toward self harm and suicide. There is also the fact that social media environments are contributing to confusion around gender and identity in children who are not psychologically equipped to handle constant exposure to adult-level content and social pressure.

In the United States, a similar ban would likely face constitutional barriers. Some argue that such a policy may be too authoritarian and would conflict with free speech protections, while others worry about how the government would enforce age verification without violating privacy or creating new systems of surveillance.

The Australian policy has, however, forced a serious question into the American debate. If evidence continues to show that social media contributes to predator access, extreme bullying, youth suicide, and identity confusion, lawmakers may feel pressure to consider strong intervention. A possible U.S. version of the policy could involve age verification systems, stricter platform responsibilities, and expanded parental authority rather than direct criminal penalties.

Australia’s decision is not a perfect solution, but it may serve as a real-world experiment that Americans can no longer afford to ignore.