More Than a Ban is Needed

Are social media bans effective? Do they actually work? These questions were answered with the Australian social-media ban. Based on the studies and results from this new ban, it is clear it isn’t having a significant impact on teens’ social media use and safety.

To solve this, Australia resorted to a social media ban on people under the age of 16 that has been in place since December 2025. It has banned 10 social media apps, including YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook. The purpose of this ban was to reduce social media use and improve online safety. However, studies show that this is in fact the opposite! According to a survey conducted by the Molly Rose Foundation, it shows that over 51% of children using social media think that the ban has made no difference in their online safety.

Furthermore, more research from the Molly Rose Foundation has shown that over 61% of Australian 12-15-year-olds still have access to 1-2 social media accounts, even after the ban was issued. This proves ineffective when solving the second goal: to decrease social media usage for children and teens. Many people can also access hundreds of other social media apps, since the government banned only 10 social media apps. This creates many loopholes and makes the ban more ineffective.

I think that the government should take a different approach when solving this problem. They need to consider the needs and the lives of all the kids and teenagers in Australia. Instead of a rigid social-media ban, they should take measures to solve all of the loopholes, while also allowing certain apps and ways for teenagers to communicate with each other. This would not only solve the social media problem, but would make the ban adaptable for everyone, since some teenagers and kids use social media as their main way to communicate with their friends.

Many differ from these ideas. They agree and support this ban because they believe it helps young kids and teenagers connect with their friends more, as they don’t have the distractions from social media. This is proven very wrong for many young teenagers around Australia. Many people use social media as a way to communicate with their friends, and taking it away can actually break the connections between friends. Pew Research Center stated, “Roughly two-thirds (67%) of social media users say that staying in touch with current friends and family members is a major reason they use social media sites”. Take Ezra Sholl, a 15-year-old teenager who was paralyzed at a young age of 12. It took away his ability to pursue his hobbies. According to Ezra, social media “has really kind of filled that void in my social life, and it’s given me the avenue to still be friends with my friends, make new friends, feel connected with the wider world.”

It is clear that if we want to solve the issues with social media, a better solution than a rigid social media ban is needed. If we want to solve this, not only does the government need to step in, but parents, young children, and teens need to work together to find a solution

Sources:

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-australias-pioneering-social-media-ban-is-impacting-teens#:~:text=In%20December%2C%20Australian%20Prime%20Minister,underage%20users%20from%20holding%20accounts.

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2011/12/22/using-social-media-to-keep-in-touch/