Banning social media for young people. The best solution?

On November 28 2025 under 16s will be banned from social media in Australia. Banning under 16s is not the best solution; as a short-term measure that makes Big Tech gatekeepers sit up and take notice, it could make a difference, especially if other countries follow suit.

That would allow time to develop a more coordinated and systemic solution, ideally globally, at least regionally. Why is that needed?

Firstly, there are few, if any, specific large-scale studies as evidence to back-up the claim the young people are more vulnerable to social media than other age groups.

To say social media can cause associated mental health problems and children are more vulnerable, sounds logical. Even so, in the absence of appropriate research, there's nothing specific or nuanced to guide policy-makers. A growing number of institutions are questioning this and petitioning for proper analyses.

The American Psychological Association (APA) reported in 2023 that social media “𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲”. On the other hand, a study by the Alan Turing Institute in the UK found that nearly 𝟵𝟬% 𝗼𝗳 𝟭𝟴-𝟯𝟰 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗼𝗹𝗱'𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲.

In 2017, a New York hospital found that 𝟵𝟳% 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮. In 2023, the Journal of Mood and Anxiety Disorders said that 𝟳𝟱% 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲.

In summary, a patchwork of contradictory data, and this is just four data points of many.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝗮𝗹𝗴𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗺𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗱𝘂𝘁𝘆-𝗼𝗳-𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗻𝘀, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗳𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘀. Guided by proper evidentiary studies, ideally globally coordinated, recognizing there will be fierce, politicised resistance, because the internet has already pushed large parts of society beyond facts. That would take years. In the interim, regulation and bans might be the only recourse, but without proper evidence they could backfire, badly.