What’s happening with the Under-16 Social Media Ban in Australia?

By Elke F., Grade 10

Can you imagine not having access to Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat? That’s been the reality of teenagers in Australia since December. You may have heard of the under 16 social media ban which recently started in Australia, but what exactly is it? Even though this ban begun in Australia, many countries across Europe has been considering this ban, including Germany. So, what does this mean for students at MIS?

The under-16 social media ban which begun in December 2025, prohibits children under the age of 16 from having accounts on social media platforms. These involve TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and Reddit. I asked some students in Australia about their opinions on the topic.

“My opinion is it’s a really good thing for kids, but it should be for people who are younger than 13.” Marley B., grade 7 from Australia said.

The reason behind the ban is because the Australian government believes that the ban would reduce the negative impacts of social media. A study in 2025 showed that 96% of children aged 10-15 used social media, and 7 out of 10 were exposed to harmful content.

Marley further explained, “I think that social media is still negative and brain washing. Just because you can’t access social media when you’re 13, doesn’t mean you still can’t see the beauty standards or negative content.”

Is the ban actually working? Well, the number of Australians downloading VPNs increased before the ban. This was so people could hide their location and pretend they were in another country to avoid the law. Kids under 16 have found ways around the ban such as “using your parent’s face, a photo of an adult, or changing your age.” Commented Harley C., grade 5 from Australia. How are people expected to take the ban seriously when there are so many loopholes around it?

Izzy C., grade 7 from Australia said “I think the ban doesn’t work because a lot of people find their way around it”

Since the ban started in Australia, other countries across Europe have also been considering the ban.

European Parliamentsin November recommended a Europe-wide social media ban on children under 16. They also suggested that 13–16-year-olds could be granted access with parental consent. Countries such as France and Spain have sent the bill that calls for a ban on under-16s to the Parliament for a vote. The Austrian government announced that a bill will be introduced by the end of June to ban social media use for children under 14. The United Kingdom has started the consultation process and has recently started a trial involving social media bans and digital curfews on teenagers. This will help to decide if they should follow in Australia’s footsteps by making it illegal for under-16s to have access to social media platforms.

There is a lot of controversy when discussing if the ban is helpful, if it works, or if it’s actually necessary. This ban is a big change which could affect a lot of MIS students if Germany decides to follow Australia with the ban.