Some 40 countries are moving to ban social media access to minors. Should we join the “ban” wagon?
In December 2025, Australia became the first country to ban social media for minors under 16. The ban includes Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X, YouTube, Reddit, Threads, Twitch and Kick — apps targeted for their addictive algorithms and/or account requirement for interaction.
The Social Media Minimum Act of Australia places the burden of proof on tech giants who face massive fines of up to AUD$50 million if they fail to take “reasonable steps” to block minors.
The ban relies on tech-driven age verification methods: deploying AI tools to scan user photos or video selfies to estimate user age based on facial features, uploading of government IDs and using app links that age-gate users without sharing data directly with the social media platform.
Despite enforcement difficulties due to widespread teenage circumvention, many countries continue to consider passing legislation banning social media use by minors.
And perhaps, we do not need to ask why. After only two decades of widespread global use, social media’s drawbacks as well as dangers are evident not just to kids but to all users.
Habitual social media use deprives us of sleep which adversely affects our mental and physical health but it also deprives us of real, human connections.
Some people born into the social media age are adept at online messaging but are somehow clueless in face-to-face communication. But while our smartphones have seriously hampered our capacity to connect with others in the real world, what it has done for our “attention,” is simply devastating.
Some people have lost the capacity to understand spoken instructions. Miscommunication occurs because so many have become enslaved by the written word that they have lost the capacity to understand the spoken word.
But as the written word has been hyper-specialized and drastically reduced in count by social media with messages and posts, netizens have also lost the capacity to read and understand paragraphs and/or pages.
This is what happens when people read summaries instead of books.
But social media does not only result in sleep deprivation, inattention, loss of comprehension and social ineptitude, it also results in addiction which leads to neglect of duties and responsibilities and destruction of significant human relationships.
And it’s not just the under-30 who suffer from these life-altering afflictions, it’s practically everyone who has a smartphone.
Supporters of social media bans for minors say it is necessary because to developing brains, social media is especially destructive. Its content can be misleading, unrealistic, disruptive, manipulative, dangerous and addictive.
Children need to be protected from violence, disinformation, addictive habits, harmful societal pressures, cyberbullying and predatory behavior.
But critics also say bans will deprive minors of the opportunity to acquire digital literacy early, cut off vital support networks, drive social media use underground and shift accountability for social media content from platforms to users.
At the end of the day, we all need to recognize that social media can rewire our brains and cause addiction if not dependency. It’s called digital cocaine for good reason. The smartphone is not a safe device. Its use must be regulated.
Tech giants need to be pressured to change the designs of their platforms so they can provide safer and healthier environments for all users.
In the meantime, we need to join the “ban” wagon.