In December 2025, as social media’s potential impact on youth mental health faced growing scrutiny, Australia became the first country to ban social media for people under 16, with Indonesia quickly following. The European Union is taking a slightly different approach, banning social media for children under 13 and personal accounts for people under 15 after pressure from several E.U. nations.
Elsewhere, big tech companies are being challenged in the courts. Meta recently agreed to pay up to $18 billion to resolve claims in the U.S. that Facebook and Instagram harmed children. Meta will also introduce “safety by design” features for young people, such as concealing the number of “likes” on posts. But will these features meaningfully change young people’s behavior or experiences online? Will the bans have their intended effect?
