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Redazione RHC : 8 December 2025 20:26
Australia is soon to introduce groundbreaking legislation banning social media access for children under 16, an initiative that will set a precedent worldwide.
A similar measure will soon be adopted in Malaysia, Denmark, and Norway, which will follow Australia’s lead, while the European Union, with a recently approved resolution, has expressed its intention to introduce similar restrictions.
As the legislation comes into force on December 10, millions of Australian teenagers and their families are anxiously awaiting its implementation, wondering what the actual implications of this ban will be.
The Australian government’s new initiative to limit teens’ access to social media is already sparking heated debate among stakeholders. Just days after the ban went into effect, young members of the Australian Theatre for Young People’s Council are sharing their views on the implications for young people.
The ban will be the first of its kind in the world.
However, similar measures are already being considered in Malaysia, Denmark, and Norway, and the European Union has approved measures to introduce similar restrictions . Australian authorities explain their decision as a desire to reduce risks to adolescents’ mental well-being and reduce exposure to harmful content.
However, within the country, there are a wide range of concerns, from fears that the ban will push teenagers towards less safe online platforms to doubts about the impact on their rights and the actual effectiveness of this measure.
Some teens believe the authorities have misdirected their efforts. Fourteen-year-old Sarai Adas notes that toxic content often comes from adult authors and political commentators, and that teens reap the consequences.
Adas believes it is important to develop media literacy, which remains underrepresented in school curricula, especially with the growing role of algorithms and artificial intelligence systems. He argues that abandoning social media will deprive many of the opportunity to maintain international contacts, develop creative skills, and acquire new ideas.
Thirteen-year-old Pia Monte doesn’t use the banned services, but she worries about those who do . Fourteen-year-old Grace Goh demonstrates similar restraint; for her, the restrictions are unlikely to bring about a radical change : she communicates primarily through instant messaging apps and is confident that most of her peers will wait or find alternative solutions.
Fifteen-year-old Ewan Buchanan-Constable emphasizes that video-sharing sites have helped him develop creative interests . He believes that protecting teenagers can be achieved through early online safety education, rather than by blocking services entirely. He notes that adults tend to exaggerate the role of social media in teenagers’ lives, even though for many, it’s merely a secondary aspect of their daily lives.
Fifteen-year-old Emma Williamson, who will soon turn sixteen, sees the restrictions as both a temporary obstacle and an opportunity to take a break from the incessant flow of information. She points out that the school curriculum only discusses cyberbullying and barely addresses the healthy use of digital platforms. She believes the government’s efforts should focus on education, not bans.
Teens agree on one thing: social media has become an important part of their communication and self-identity, and drastically limiting access will not solve the systemic problems of the online environment.
Many are convinced that, without significant changes in platform regulation and the development of digital literacy, the new approach will prove to be merely a temporary measure, unable to address the root cause of the problem.
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