Canada should follow Australia in banning social media for youth under 16
Young people are exposed to several harms on social media platforms
Social media companies are expected to take "reasonable steps" to prevent Australians under 16 from using their platforms. (Kampus Production/Pexels)
Last month, the Australian government went ahead in passing legislation to ban social media for those aged 16 and under.
By late 2025, platforms like TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and X could face fines of up to $44 million CAD if they fail to show they are taking “reasonable steps” to prevent individuals under 16 from using their sites.
I believe that this ban will largely benefit the youth of Australia by improving their mental health as young minds are still developing and can be easily influenced by the negative aspects of social media.
In fact, I think this ban should have been in place many years ago in more countries, including ours.
Research from the United States, for example, has shown that teens can spend about nine hours using media per day, and a large amount of that is dedicated to social media. Studies have also found links between teen social media use, increased depression, and altered brain development.
Many factors such as mental health, social life, sleep schedule, self-esteem, and body image, all of which are crucial for children to grow, are damaged when teens go on social media.
Therefore, if countries like Canada, the U.S., and others follow suit and implement this ban, I believe there will be a positive change in youth, which is deeply needed.
When it comes to the question of who the bill may negatively impact, I believe the answer is tech companies because they would have to pay large fines if they slip up. I do see how the ban could also hurt youth, especially those who are already on social media, with having to be cut off from it, which may make them find other unsafe alternatives instead to fulfil this habit.
However, there is no in between when it comes to regulating social media for the youth — it can be either banned or allowed.
While guidelines or proper education among youth could help alleviate some of the harms of social media, it isn’t enough to reverse the major damaging effects and addiction social media has caused. It will take a lot more than guidelines to get teens from spending a lot of their time on social media.
Starting fresh with a clean slate, like Australia is doing, will free youth from the constant pressure and unrealistic expectations that are presented on social media. If similar bans are implemented in other countries, then hopefully we will be able to slowly reverse the damaging effects social media has had on young people.
Australia’s social media ban for those under 16 is a sign of hope for the new generations. Maintaining mental health is crucial for developing minds, and other countries should follow suit in protecting them.
