Mei Pearl Holmes-Selby | Sports Editor
December 17, 2025
Starting December 10, 2025, the Australian government has officially banned social media for kids under the age of 16. More than 1 million accounts are set to be deactivated in Australia, and many countries are watching closely to see what will happen next. There are already multiple social media advocates who are planning to take the Australian government to court on this ban. For example, 15-year-old Noah Jones is currently in a constitutional challenge to the law in the High Court. Noah Jones and Macy Neyland claim the law is robbing over 2 million young Australians from their right of freedom. Is their claim true or will the Australian government help the overall teen population move into a new era?
San Clemente High School sophomore, Clara Hyatt, thought that “it will definitely impact [Australia] in both positive and negative ways” as “this ban is historically significant with the fact that social media has become such a big part of our lives,” and taking it away from teens will feel like a huge loss in their lives. Although not having social media herself, Clara Hyatt thought that it “may help them concentrate and focus more on their lives instead of the people online.” She believes it will be a good initiative as social media addiction is real and the ban could truly help the young teens.
The details of the new law include that Instagram, Tik Tok, X, Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, and Reddit are age restricted, according to a list shared by the eSafety Commissioner, for teens under 16. All seven apps have agreed to comply with the government’s terms and some had already started the process beforehand.
Additionally, Jones’s fight for “freedom of political communication” can be combated by the legal implementations that are already taking place with this new law. For example, if one has to be the minimum age of 18 to vote, then why should they be allowed to communicate their political ideas before the age of 18, or 16? On the other hand, the Australian Constitution does give them the right of freedom of speech, helping Jones’s case.
A bigger question looms over other young teens: will the ban be effective and could it spread to other countries like the United States? The first question will be answered in time, and as for the latter? Yes, there is a possibility, but it might not be high. Although Australia is the first country to implement a ban, they will most likely experience a lot more protest than just Jones and Neyland. This controversial decision will produce many outcomes because, as Hyatt mentioned before, it is a historic law not only for Australia but for governments around the world.
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