The Australian government is planning to ban social media as the fear of teenage isolation rises.
According to Reuters, Australian teenagers are the most connected youth in the world as 97% of teenagers use an average of four social media platforms.
Meanwhile, as per a 2024 survey by youth service ReachOut, nearly two-thirds of Australian teenagers’ parents feel concerned about their child's social media usage.
Following the social media addiction of the teenagers and concern of the parents, the Australian government is looking forward to restricting social media usage.
The ban is yet to be legislated which currently lacks key details regarding the age and platforms it would affect but the youth advocate has warned of the serious consequences of the ban.
Amelia Johns, an associate professor of digital media at the University of Technology, Sydney said, “The ban is pretty much the opposite of what we would recommend. Everyone is living on social media. For a lot of young people, it's not an option to opt-out, and I do wonder about the mental health consequences of a complete blanket ban."
Furthermore, the government is planning to introduce the legislation by the end of the year.
To note, no country in the world has yet introduced an age-based social media ban. France and the UK tested age verification but and not roll out the restriction.
