Challenging the Arguments Behind Youth Social Media Bans

Multiple governments are considering or enacting bans on social media access for children and teenagers, with Australia becoming the first country to enact such a ban in 2025 and signs pointing to the UK, EU, France, and New Zealand as potential followers. These measures oversimplify complex problems of youth mental health and online harms and create new risks for privacy and safety, while cutting parental choice out of the picture. Research does not support blanket bans as an effective response, problems persist surrounding enforcement of age restrictions without intrusive digital identification systems, and cutting young people off from online spaces threatens to undermine their ability to develop digital literacy and resilience—not to mention the widescale benefits of social media for youth and adults alike.

Do social media bans meaningfully address the root causes of youth mental health challenges—or do they shift responsibility away from platforms, parents, and policymakers? How can governments protect children online without restricting free expression?

Join us for a panel discussion examining the global movement to ban social media for youth, the tradeoffs these policies present, and alternative approaches that balance safety, rights, and the realities of growing up in a digital world.

Questions for the speakers? Ask on Slido.