Would you rather have your phone taken away or have social media banned? In Australia, the government has put in a social media ban for teenagers under 16 on December 10th, 2025. Their main reason for doing this was to protect children’s mental health from social media threats. The significance of this is that this could potentially sway the United States into doing something similar. Teenagers, parents, teachers, and the government all have a different perspective on this. There are both pros and cons to the social media ban.
Some of the benefits that come with the social media ban are an improvement in mental health, a boost in focus and academic performances, removal of cyberbullying, protection of reputations, and getting rid of unrealistic standards. Some of these benefits can be a huge advantage to students. With the countless amount of problems students have to face every day, they don’t have to worry about unnecessary things like looking perfect or what people think of them. Additionally, they’ll have more time for activities and school work which will improve their performances in school. However, by removing social media, it removes social connection and even removes a way for teenagers to make some money. Two twin siblings Hayden and Carlee Jade say that they have been using social media to make extra money and get brand deals. For some, they use social media to bring awareness to sensitive topics and bring together teenagers with similar issues. Removing social media breaks the connections that people have.
In a survey conducted by the ABC, 80% of the 16,000 Australian teens that were surveyed said they used social media and 75% of those people don’t think people will stop after the ban. Only 5% of teens think the ban will stop teens under 16 from using social media. For those who have used social media as jobs, they say that being banned feels like being fired. Even though social media got banned, there are still ways teens can bypass this ban. Teens are able to use VPNs to change the location of the user where social media isn’t banned. While Australia can implement age verifications through ID, the process would just take a while. On the other hand, teachers believe the ban will reduce distractions and increase focus. For parents, they get an instant effect. Their children are more reluctant with spending time with their parents. However, some teachers and parents believe children will be isolated and should keep their rights to digital culture. In addition, many politicians do agree with this policy and want to push for something similar.
In conclusion, the social media ban is fair. While there are loopholes teenagers are able to use to still use social media, they are only hurting themselves. But it is understandable why teenagers will not follow the ban.
