Do you think social media bans will protect children?

Australia recently passed a law banning social media for children and younger teens, and other countries may follow suit. But do you think such bans will work?

A close up of a ring-shaped light with a phone in the middle filming a girl on a yoga mat behind it.
A social media ban is being considered in the U.S. and U.K., while Australia has already passed legislation banning social media for children under 16.
(Image credit: Olga Rolenko via Getty Images)

Concerns about young people's social media use are growing, with governments, parents and schools looking for ways to protect children from potential harms, such as stalking, cyberbullying or sexual harassment. Experts also cite concerns about misleading health and medical content online, including posts that may glamorize or oversimplify conditions such as ADHD and potentially encourage young users to self-diagnose.

One possible solution is to ban children below a certain age from using social media platforms altogether.

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Kenna Hughes-Castleberry
Content Manager, Live Science

Kenna Hughes-Castleberry is the Content Manager at Live Science. Formerly, she was the Content Manager at Space.com and before that the Science Communicator at JILA, a physics research institute. Kenna is also a book author, with her upcoming book 'Octopus X' scheduled for release in spring of 2027. Her beats include physics, health, environmental science, technology, AI, animal intelligence, corvids, and cephalopods.

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