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Recent years have seen alarming increases in youth self-harm and suicidal thoughts. Parents, educators, and mental health experts are naturally concerned, and many blame social media. Governments have begun taking notice as well. In Australia, for instance, the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill will soon make it illegal for young people under 16 to access major social media platforms, effective December 2025. The move seems reasonable at first, especially given how vulnerable children and adolescents can be to cyberbullying, unattainable beauty standards, and self-harm or suicide on social media.
Australian policymakers have certainly justified the bill as a way of creating a digital "seatbelt moment" to protect young people in an online world that often ignores mental health. But is this necessarily the case? A new viewpoint article recently published in the journal Crisis: The Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention has raised concerns about the bill and whether it might do more harm than good.
Written by a team of researchers at the University of Melbourne and Stanford University, the article points out that, while a “social media ban” may be politically appealing, it could hurt vulnerable youth. Despite its potential dangers, social media is an essential venue for connection, especially for youth who feel excluded, marginalized, or misunderstood offline.
As lead author Jo Robinson and her co-authors point out, many teens find understanding, empathy, and belonging in online networks. LGBTQ+ teenagers often use internet platforms to find peers and mental health supports not available locally. Online support groups may also assist depressed or traumatized youth in coping before a crisis. Removing access could accidentally cut them off from these lifelines, causing new risks.
Myth of the Simple Fix
While imposing age limitations is a familiar solution for dealing with a wide range of social problems, including substance use and sex education, the link between social media and suicide risk remains complicated. Even though excessive or toxic use of social media might lead to trauma and increased suicide risk, moderate and meaningful usage can build connection and resilience. Also, there are numerous causes for youth suicide, including poverty, trauma, family strife, untreated depression, and academic pressure. For this reason, social media is more likely a symptom of underlying problems rather than a cause.
But there is also the question of how this new bill might be implemented. Online age verification creates privacy and technical issues. As with other internet hurdles, many young people will find ways to circumvent the limits. Data on whether the law helps or hurts will take years to acquire, during which policy may outpace evidence. In the meantime, other nations, eager to follow the Australian example, may well follow suit despite the potential risks involved.
Is There a Better Way Forward?
As an alternative to an arbitrary ban, Jo Robinson and her colleagues suggest that it might be more practical to build sites that prioritize the mental health of their users. Psychologically led content moderation, algorithms that prioritize well-being over engagement, and user tools that promote balance over dependency are certainly needed.
This approach requires a closer cooperation between the government, researchers, and tech businesses to create platforms that are flexible, evidence-based, and based on lived experience. Most importantly, young people should be allowed to help shape these policies. They know the internet better than most adults and can provide insights no law can.
Conclusion
Australia's social media age ban represents a risky yet brave attempt to protect young people from online harm. Still, it may neglect how technology now permeates adolescent life. Mental health experts, schools, and parents must reinvent the digital world to make it safer, wiser, and more humane.
The challenge isn’t to ban connection, it’s to help the next generation use it wisely.
Key points
Reference
Robinson, J., La Sala, L., & Harrison, V. (2025). Australia’s social media age limit: A “seatbelt moment” or a missed opportunity for a nuanced approach? Crisis: The Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention, 46(5), 245–253.
