Dazzling images flash across a screen as the minutes tick by, with eyes and fingers seemingly glued to that familiar, addictive handheld device. Doomscrolling, among other unhealthy uses of social media, poses significant risks to anyone but can prove especially detrimental for a developing child or adolescent.
The U.S. Surgeon’s General Advisory reports that up to 95% of those between the ages of 13 and 17 have a social media platform, with over a third admitting to “constant” use. Furthermore, in a 2024 Pew Research study, 48% of teenagers said that social media harms people their age.
With this trend only seeming to accelerate, research has been at the forefront of people’s minds, throwing caution to the wind and sparking a shift in belief. According to Nationwide Children’s Hospital, doomscrolling is associated with the reduction of one’s attention span, social skills, and critical thinking. Cyberbullying is also a concern that the rise in social media use has exacerbated.
Countries across the world have taken notice of these concerns, with a number of them implementing variations of a policy with the same goal: to reduce, and reverse, the negative impacts experienced by children exposed to excessive social media at a young age.
Australia’s social media ban, widely known as the Online Safety Amendment, went into effect on Dec. 10, 2025. The legislation mandates a minimum age of 16 for access to social media and covers platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Youtube, X, Facebook and Reddit.
This trend has gained traction, with at least 15 other countries, including Britain, Portugal and India, implementing similar legislation for children under 16. Britain’s, in addition to regulating social media, also included restrictions on AI chatbots. Portugal, furthermore, requires parental control for children under the age of 16 for social media access. Karnataka’s social media ban for children under 16, which is similar in nature to the European bans, may also be a precursor for bans from its neighboring states of Goa and Andhra Pradesh.
Discourse exists over the reach and validity of these bans, with some students backing the legislation for safety reasons and others believing they remove an essential form of communication in the digital age and hold that the bans likely will not work effectively. In an article on Half The Story, teen Anxhelika Deda shared her perspective on the ban, stating that “while the law sounds strict, enforcement may be uneven in practice” and that “many teens will still find ways around it.”
Experts believe that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Social media has its benefits and drawbacks, and this legislation is so recent that only time may reveal the extent of its efficacy. With the technology sector rapidly changing, society can expect more trial-and-error, and social media bans for teens may just be the beginning of a widespread shift to address the challenges that come with today’s rapid technology development.
Written by Nisha Khatri
Photo courtesy of Creative Commons