Australia proposes social media ban for everyone under the age of 16, citing concerns about young people's mental wellbeing

pcgamer.com:

Social media hasn't exactly been a net positive for kids and teens. Organisations, such as The Anxious Generation, have observed typical childhood becoming subsumed into the screen-based domain of social media, and have noted an alarming correlatory rise in instances of anxiety and depression in the younger generation.

So this news out of Australia comes as no surprise: During a recent press conference, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced plans to legislate a ban on social media for children under the age of 16 (via Reuters). A proposed age-check system would stop kids and teens from accessing not just the sort of social media aged millennials like myself frequent, such as Facebook and X, but also apps with a huge younger following, like Instagram, YouTube, and Tik Tok. The ban could come into effect as soon as next year.

Other parts of the world have explored similar strategies, with France looking into limiting under-15's access unless kids get permission from their parents. The US currently requires parental consent for anyone younger than 13-years-old wanting to create a social media account, so most sites simply ban anyone underage. Australia's proposed legislation is definitely the strictest so far, with the blanket ban allowing no wiggle room in the case of under-16-year-olds with an existing social media account, or anyone creating a new account with permission from their parents. The move is motivated in part by the effect of harmful social media posts on young people, with Albanese highlighting the risk posed by content promoting misogynistic ideals and depicting harmful ideas about body image.

While it's hard to prove causation, concerns about youngsters' mental and physical health are not unfounded, as this recent piece from Ars Technica about dangerous Tik Tok challenges explores. Add to that Facebook's «addictive features» drawing young uns focus away from other important areas of their lives, plus Roblox becoming an unsafe «hellscape» for