Over the years, people nationwide have witnessed the negative effects of the internet and the encouragement of the use of social media for younger generations. Australia, unlike the United States, where little ever gets done for the benefit of its youth, has taken action against the unwanted impacts that social media has on its children.
As of December 10th, 2025, the Australian government changed the minimum required age for all social media to be 16. This is a major contributor to the Online Safety Amendment passed in November 2024, as the Australian parliament passed this bill with the youth’s security in mind. Working towards giving children a path toward better treatment of others and their own mental health, this bill helps prevent most of the harmful effects that follow from the use of social media, like cyberbullying, self-harm, and online addiction.
While this may not have any reasonable impact on the United States’ status in internet affairs, it forwards the conversation of how detrimental social media is for young minds. Although there are limits that are dependent on the age created on any account on social media, any teenager or even a little kid can lie about their age, and it is very evident that children of all ages use social media.
This is problematic because of how addictive social media and the internet are in general. By so easily allowing children to search or see anything they want or do not want to see, it makes them victims of harmful sights and exposes them to damaging aspects. Children and teenagers form addictive personalities and think about themselves or others based on online advice.
Overall, Australia’s banning of online access to young people should serve as a wake-up call for America and other countries to make stronger efforts toward ensuring children are being put out of the way of danger for their own futures.
