Australia proposes a social media ban on anyone under 16 years old, citing concerns over young people's mental health.

Social media hasn’t exactly been a net benefit for kids and teenagers. The Anxious Generation and other organisations have seen the typical childhood subsumed by the screen-based world of social media and noted an alarming rise in anxiety and depression among the younger generation.

This news from Australia is not surprising: During a press conference held recently, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese revealed plans to legislate a social media ban for children under 16 years old (via Reuters). A proposed age-checking system would prevent kids and teens from accessing social media that millennials, like myself, use, such as Facebook, X and Instagram. It would also stop them from using apps with a large younger following, such YouTube, Tik Tok, and Instagram. The ban could be implemented as early as next year.

France is looking at limiting access to under-15s unless they get parental permission. In the US, anyone younger than 13 years old who wants to create a social networking account must get parental consent. Most sites therefore ban anyone underage. The proposed legislation in Australia is the most strict so far. It has a blanket ban that does not allow for any wiggle room, even if the under-16s already have a social media account or if they create a new one with their parents' permission. Albanese, who is a social media expert, highlighted the dangers of content that promotes misogynistic ideas and portrays harmful ideas about body images.

Ars Technica's recent article on dangerous Tik Tok games shows that, while it's difficult to prove causation in these cases, the concerns about children's mental and physical health is not unfounded. Add to this Facebook's "addictive" features that draw young people away from other areas of their lives and Roblox's dangerous "hellscape" that children are in, and you can't ignore the issue.

I'm part of the generation that is sometimes called 'digital Natives'. I don't have to think too hard about the times when my peers made me miserable because of social media. I'm still not convinced that a ban on social media is the best solution. When I was too old to have a Neopets profile, I lied about my age and created one anyway. I find it hard for me to believe that today's children won't do the same.

My next question is, when that inevitable happens, how would the proposed banning be enforced? What would be the consequences if a child was found using a social networking account they shouldn't have been? Albanese said, "There won't be any penalties for users." He also stated that it would be up to the social media platforms to block access. Although that sounds good, I also believe that any punishment meted out by the Australian Government would be little more than a simple slap on a wrist for social media platforms.

These bans are appealing, but they can also mask other difficult conversations. Could the increased anxiety and depression rates among young people in Australia be attributed to another cause, such as that many young Australians are "poised" to be the first generations worse off than their parents? It's at least food for thought. But we'll have to wait and see how effective or ineffective this ban is if it makes it beyond the proposal stage.

Social media is a popular target, but if we really want to help young people we will have to look past the screen.