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Recently the Australian Senate passed a law to ban children under 16 from having social media accounts including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X. Matt Cardy | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Australia's social media ban for under-16s has grabbed global attention, and governments worldwide are considering implementing similar policies, with the U.K. seen as likely to be next. The Australian government's Online Safety Amendment Act came into effect on December 10, and included major social media platforms including Reddit, X, Meta's Instagram, Alphabet's YouTube, Bytedance's TikTok. The platforms were forced to implement age verification methods to ensure under-16s are unable to create an account, and the companies can face fines up to 49.5 million Australian dollars ($32 million) for not complying. Although teenagers, tech giants, and experts have had mixed reactions since the ban came into force, governments globally are drafting bills to implement an Australia-style ban.
"This is a global issue, and governments everywhere are under pressure to respond," Daisy Greenwell, co-founder of U.K.-based Smartphone Free Childhood, told CNBC. SFC is a grassroots campaign urging parents to delay giving children smartphones and social media access. "We're already seeing countries move in this direction, and as confidence builds and evidence accumulates, more will follow. No one thinks the status quo is working for children, parents, or society – and this is one of the clearest policy responses currently on the table," Greenwell added. Other countries that are considering an under-16s social media ban include the U.K., France, Denmark, Spain, Germany, Italy and Greece. The U.S. is trailing behind on this front with a national ban being unlikely, however there is certainly state and local interest, according to Ravi Iyer, a managing director of the University of Southern California Marshall School's Neely Center. Iyer has worked closely with social psychologist Jonathon Haidt who wrote the renowned book The Anxious Generation, about the harmful impacts of social media and smartphones on children and teens. "It's really hard to predict Federal policy, but it is one of the few bipartisan issues left, so it certainly is possible," Iyer said in emailed comments. "I'm more confident at the state level and I believe we will see a few U.S. states enact such a policy in the next couple years." Lawmakers in California and Texas are looking at bringing in state-level bans in 2026. But governments looking to implement such bans could face resistance from the tech giants. Following Australia's move, community-focused forum Reddit launched a lawsuit, arguing that the new law goes too far by restricting political discussion online. Facebook and Instagram owner Meta urged Canberra to reconsider the ban. And in a statement to users explaining how the restrictions work, Elon Musk's X said: "It's not our choice – it's what the Australian law requires."
U.K. set to vote on social media ban
Meanwhile, calls for a social media ban for under-16s in the U.K. have grown rapidly at the beginning of this year. The U.K.'s House of Lords is expected to vote this week to amend the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill to include a social media ban for under-16s. Greenwell's SFC launched an email campaign this week, which saw more than 100,000 emails sent to local U.K. lawmakers. The SFC template email urged the government to set "reasonable, age-appropriate boundaries that protect children's wellbeing." "We consistently see that the more time children spend on smartphones and social media, the worse their mental health outcomes tend to be. If these platforms are no longer available, the network effects collapse – and young people can reconnect with each other and with the real world," Greenwell told CNBC.