You may have heard that in December 2025, the Australian Federal government plans to ban under-16s from all social media. 

But is social media really damaging to young people’s mental health? And will banning it actually help young people? 

We asked the experts. 

Is social media really that bad?

The government claims that this ban is intended to protect the well-being of young people – but the experts we spoke to aren’t so convinced. 

“For the most part, young people report that their online interactions and experiences are largely positive, and that they’re just using social media to communicate with their friends and family,” says Dr Louise La Sala, Research Fellow at Orygen (a youth mental health research organisation). 

This is especially true for young people who are considered vulnerable, such as someone who is isolated from support, or might be facing big challenges IRL. According to Louise, “The social media ban could be more harmful than helpful for the young people who need support the most.” 

A 2023 study found that young people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, those living rurally, and queer youth often use social media to access and maintain connections and relationships.

Louise explains that there are lots of benefits young people gain from social media. “Things like being able to remain anonymous, practice conversations, ask for help in a less stigmatising way.” Social media can be a really great place to connect with mental health support and lean on others during a time of crisis. It could be argued that by banning U-16s from social media, we’re actually cutting them off from a really valuable resource.  

Yes, social media and its powerful algorithms can be harmful, but like researcher Dr Louise La Sala says, it can also be a place of connection and support. Maybe instead of isolating young people, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his government should take measures to make social media a safer place for all and hold companies accountable.

What is this ban ACTUALLY going to look like?

The ban will target obvious social media platforms like Insta and Facebook. However, platforms that people don’t generally think of as social media, like Discord, Roblox and even Pinterest, might also be on the chopping block. 

The eSafety Commission says that social media companies have to take a “layered approach” to regulating who can and can’t create an account. This means they can’t just rely on users telling the truth about their age. They have to use a combination of: 

• Facial analysis software: using AI to determine someone’s real age
• Behavioural data: tracking users’ activity online
• Government ID checks: verifying a user’s age by scanning an ID (like a driver’s license or passport) 

Companies will also have to deactivate existing accounts that they suspect are held by U-16s, and set up an accessible review process for users who have been wrongly accused of being underage. If platforms don’t follow the guidelines, they could be fined up to $49.5 million.

To comply with the Australian Online Safety Act 2021, any information collected for the purposes of age checks will need to be destroyed, but the timeframe for this is unclear. Age-check measures require private companies to collect sensitive biometric data and monitor the usage of millions of accounts, raising major concerns about all users’ privacy. In cases across the world, Meta has been found to mishandle sensitive data – so how can we really trust them? 

This youth social ban is a world first. No other country has even attempted something like this on such a large scale. So basically, it’s not going to be perfect. But as Communications Minister Anika Wells said to the ABC, “We are not anticipating perfection here, these are world-leading laws, but we are requiring meaningful change through reasonable steps.” 

So, will the ban help young people? 

Not really, according to Dr Christine Grove, Psychologist, health care academic and Research Fellow from Monash University. “Coming in and being really heavy and having a zero tolerance approach doesn’t give young people the opportunity to learn, to grow, to have those conversations around their own social media use.” 

Learning how to interact safely online is an important part of growing up. Banning social media means that young people won’t build important communication and digital skills. 

Dr  La Sala says, “I kind of see social media as a magnifying glass to what is happening in our societies. I think when we’re talking about what is impacting on youth mental health, social media is one really small part.” She continues: “But the other things that are really impacting young people, like housing insecurity, cost of living, gender-based violence, climate anxiety, watching geopolitical conflicts occur across the world—all of these are happening online. And young people are privy to that information, are engaging with that information.“

Removing U-16s’ access to social media, rather than attempting to solve the very pressing issues currently affecting them, seems like a missed opportunity. 

Of course, young people are anxious! Our future relies on current governments taking radical steps to create meaningful change right now. Rather than shying away from the world’s complexities by removing young people’s chances to learn and grow, our government should commit to real action on issues that will impact our future, like climate change, cost of living and gender inequality.

If the government truly cared about helping young people’s mental health and well-being, it wouldn’t enforce a band-aid solution. They would make real efforts to address young people’s valid concerns. 

Worried about losing access to social media? Don’t stress, you can learn about grassroots, DIY, and student activism and share your voice with Rosie. 

Sign up for our newsletter to hear important updates and get first dibs on giveaways!