Social media bans go global: big tech faces a reckoning after Australia’s crackdown

The rush to regulate comes even as the overall impact of social media bans remains unclear Illustration: Guardian Design/GettyView image in fullscreenThe rush to regulate comes even as the overall impact of social media bans remains unclear Illustration: Guardian Design/GettySocial media bans go global: big tech faces a reckoning after Australia’s crackdownAs a host of countries move to rein in social media use by children, could this be technology’s big tobacco moment? Quick GuideContributorsShowTiago Rogero in Rio de JaneiroSam Jones in Madrid Angelique Chrisafis in Paris Natasha May in BangkokHelena Smith in Athens Leyland Cecco in Toronto Hannah Ellis-Petersen in DelhiJennifer Rankin in Brussels Dan Milmo in LondonKate Connolly in Berlin Miranda Bryant Alastair McCready in TaipeiRachel Savage in Johannesburg Ankita Rao Nick Robins-EarlyWhen Australia launched its ban on social media for children under the age of 16 in December, its global impact remained to be seen. The world watched with keen interest as the country adopted the most far-reaching ban yet, amid a global mix of incredulity, admiration and – among some – a staunch belief that many children would find a way to circumvent it.

Months later, it became clear that Australia’s efforts were the start of a global reckoning; in March, Indonesia began blocking children under the age of 16 from accessing most social media and Malaysia followed suit this month. Last week Britain announced its own ban, which it plans to have in place by early 2027.Australia’s ban has become a kind of “bellwether”, says Justin Hendrix, the chief executive and editor of Tech Policy Press, a nonprofit media venture that since February has been tracking efforts in more than 40 countries to ban children from accessing social media.

“It certainly seemed to spark a curiosity among other regulators.”View image in fullscreenThe risks of a laissez-faire approach have been laid bare by a mounting number of lawsuits. Photograph: Catherine Falls Commercial/Getty ImagesWhat exactly will come of all this remains to be seen, says Hendrix.

“The phrase ‘tech’s “big tobacco” moment’ has been bandied about. It’s certainly the case that there is a more substantial body of evidence now than perhaps ever before about the harms and the addictive qualities of social media. But I would say that science is not entirely settled, we’re still learning.”

From Greece to Gabon, each government effort to rein in social media use by children comes with its own nuances. In Austria, for example, the plan is to restrict access to those under 14 years, while France has set the age at 15. Norway, meanwhile, is looking to widen the age scope of its current ban from children under 13 to those 16 and under.

In countries such as Poland, Denmark and England, the efforts to curb social media use have been paired with prohibitions on smartphones in schools. At times regulators have opted for one over the other, such as in Brazil, where authorities have banned the use of mobile phones in schools by pupils of all ages but allow children under 16 to have social media accounts as long as they are formally linked to a parent or legal guardian’s account.Map of social media restrictions globallygraphAll of it, however, points to a wider conversation that is being had about technology and its impact on children, says Hendrix.

“There’s a huge amount of activity right now, contending with this extraordinary amount of technology that’s in children and teens’ lives, at home and at school. And when you step back, I think you see it as all of a piece: We don’t know what we’re doing.”In recent months the risks of a laissez-faire approach have been laid bare by the mounting lawsuits – lodged by school districts, government officials of all levels, and thousands of families around the world – accusing social media platforms of harming children’s mental health, whether through deliberate design choices that can be addicting or a failure to protect children from sexual predators and dangerous content.

The companies behind the platforms have denied the allegations.A landmark case in California, in which Meta and YouTube were found liable for deliberately designing addictive products that hooked a young user and led to her being harmed, was particularly damning. “How do you make a child never put down the phone?

That’s called the engineering of addiction. They engineered it, they put these features on the phones,” the lawyer Mark Lanier said during closing arguments.View image in fullscreenAmnesty International has described the Australia ban as an ‘ineffective quick fix’.

Photograph: GoodLifeStudio/Getty ImagesAll of this has left a deep mark on society, says Hendrix. “I think the experience with social media, and to some extent the lag in the appearance of harms and the regulatory response, that’s weighing on people as they think of AI. You hear a lot of lawmakers saying: ‘We don’t want to repeat our mistakes.’”

A handful of courts have s