TOKYO: Australia’s social media ban for teens will not keep young people safe online. It may prevent some 15-year-olds from entering a burning building, but leaves the doors to the inferno open as soon as they turn 16. It would make more sense for policymakers to focus on putting out the fires inside.

But this far-reaching new law, which restricts anyone under the age of 16 from social media and fines companies up to A$49.5 million (US$32 million) for systemic breaches, is delivering Big Tech an ultimatum that the status quo is no longer acceptable. The rest of the world is watching closely.

It’s spurring a much-needed global debate among lawmakers, companies, parents and researchers on how best to safeguard the next generation as they come of age in the digital era. The last time the United States passed federal law aimed at protecting children online was in 1998, and by the time lawmakers figured out there were issues, an entire generation had already grown up on the internet.

Australia’s ban has its own imperfections, but forcing these conversations to find solutions may be better than doing nothing. 

SOCIAL MEDIA AGE BAN IS WELL-MEANING BUT FLAWED

Moreover, 77 per cent of Australians back the age limits, some of the most extensive restrictions on social platforms outside of China, even though so far the government has offered few answers on how they will work. 

I’ve written about this new law before, and I still think it is well-meaning but flawed, grasping for a soundbite-y solution to complex problems.

Research shows that blanket age bans aren’t effective at preventing online harms to developing minds, as they ignore adolescents’ different maturity levels. While they may seem appealing to parents, they disregard the glaring realities of growing up in the modern world, especially after the pandemic forced more online education, work and socialising.

Completely shutting out young people from digital communities can sever lifelines for marginalised groups in Australia, and more broadly distracts from the harder policy work of coming up with comp...