Australia has banned social media accounts for young people under 16. This follows a larger government effort to protect minors, especially young women, from potential harms linked to social media, such as body-image issues, mental health challenges, and sexual exploitation. Australia is now the first country to implement such a ban.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed his support for the ban in a statement, “This law is about making it easier for you to have a conversation with your child about the risks and harms of engaging online. It’s also about helping parents push back against peer pressure. You don’t have to worry that by stopping your child using social media, you’re somehow making them the odd one out. Now, instead of trying to set a ‘family rule’, you can point to a national ban.”
As the ban took effect, the largest social media platforms, including TikTok, were ordered to block access to users under sixteen or face hefty fines. However, many criticize the ban, arguing that social media provides benefits like making connections, self-expression, and entertainment. However, these potential benefits must be weighed against the growing body of evidence documenting serious risks to youth wellbeing.
Social media is constantly saturated with unrealistic, edited images that can alter people’s perception of themselves, with teenage girls being especially vulnerable. Considering that this exposure occurs on such a large scale, young women are presented with curated images of what life could be rather than their actual realities. Research shows that social media has become “a central aspect” of adolescent girls’ lives. Algorithms routinely amplify harmful content, pushing vulnerable youth toward increasingly extreme material, often without their awareness or consent.
During this period, young women consume content that heavily impacts their mental health, contributing to body dissatisfaction, disordered eating patterns, and increased anxiety and depression symptoms. This is especially true if they do not believe they meet the beauty standards that dominate the media. Eating disorders are among the leading causes of death among adolescent young women and these unrealistic depictions of body images only help perpetuate these statistics. Studies have shown that there may be a link between social media and suicide attempts, driven by increased issues with body insecurities and cyberbullying that often go unaddressed.
Social media is not solely a space for expression and inclusion, and without regulation for such impressionable minds, it can have severe effects on adolescent brains and lives. The part of the brain that processes emotions develops faster than the part responsible for judgment and critical thinking. Social media platforms have become spaces where minors are exposed to grooming, sexual exploitation, and premature sexualization, risks that are often hidden from parents until harm has already occurred. This highlights the need for regulation and national standards to protect vulnerable youth.
Although efforts to address screen time and social media exposure should come from parents, when a nation takes a stance like Australia has, it establishes a national standard. This standard ensures that, even beyond parental influence, efforts are ongoing to protect young people.