Australia bans social media for under 16s

Australia has enacted a world-first ban on social media usage for those under the age of 16.  

The ban affects underage users on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, YouTube, Snapchat, Reddit, Kick, Twitch and TikTok. Companies that do not comply with the ban risk fines of up to $49.5m (£25m).  

In a press conference announcing the ban, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: 

"This will make an enormous difference. It is one of the biggest social and cultural changes that our nation has faced. It's a profound reform which will continue to reverberate around the world." 

Polling in Australia shows that around two-thirds of the population support raising the minimum age for social media to 16. An independent evaluation of the ban will be conducted by an academic advisory group examining the short-term, medium-term and longer-term impacts of the policy. 

A recent study published by the Karolinska Institute in Sweden and the Oregon Health & Science University in the US showed that increased use of social media by children damages their concentration levels and may be contributing to an increase in cases of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The report followed 8,300 US-based children from the age of 10 to 14 and tracked their social media usage. 

Earlier this year, Scottish Labour brought forward a vote to implement a blanket ban on phones in schools to make classrooms a “safe place to learn.”   

A survey published in 2024 by the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association showed that nine out of ten teachers have to interrupt their lesson plan to ask students to put mobile phones away, with 90 per cent of teachers worrying that pupils have detachment issues when not using their phones. 

The vote failed to pass, which prompted former education spokesperson for Labour, Pam Duncan-Glancy, to say: 

“Teachers and parents are crying out for decisive action to get phones out of classrooms, but the SNP has abdicated its responsibility on the issue with the help of the Greens. This shameful lack of leadership from the SNP lets down children and deprives teachers of the support they need.” 

Support for policies intended to restrict phone usage is high among teachers, with 96 per cent of staff saying they would support measures to limit phone usage in classrooms. A further 37 per cent of teachers would support a blanket ban on phones in school, with 22 per cent backing the idea of a complete ban in classrooms. 

In 2024, First Minister John Swinney said he would consider following Australia’s lead and banning social media for those under 16. Speaking to BBC Scotland, Swinney said there are “strong arguments” for the ban and that he had discussed the policy with the Labour UK Government.

Swinney said: “The Scottish Government will look at the measures that are necessary to tackle the effects, the negative effects, that came come from social media on young people."