This week, Australia implemented the world's first national ban on social media access for individuals under the age of 16.
Australia's move, which kicked in on December 10, 2025, has instantly become a global talking point. The law blocks under-16s from accessing 10 major platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Reddit, Snapchat and Twitch.
Companies now need to use age-verification tools such as facial-analysis selfies or identity checks, and violations could cost them penalties of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars ( approx Rs 300 crore).
Supporters say the ban addresses rising concerns around online risks from cyberbullying to exposure to unsafe content. Critics question how enforceable it really is.
Should India Follow Australia? What Indians Think
Even before the global debate stabilised, desi social media had already begun dissecting the idea.
On X, some argued that India, with its massive young user base, needed the same urgency. Others believed a ban would neither be practical nor culturally compatible. The conversation has only grown louder as parents, teachers and influencers weighed in.
Have a look at some:
Actor Sonu Sood also urged the government to consider ban for kids in India.
"Countries like Australia have already banned social media for kids under 16, and it's time India considers the same. Our children deserve real childhoods, stronger family bonds, and freedom from screen addiction," he tweeted.
Indian users were quick to ask whether a vast country like India could realistically enforce a similar ban. Much of the conversation circled around the nature of family structures, cheap data, shared devices and the blurred line between learning and leisure on platforms like YouTube. While some parents online called the idea "long overdue", others argued it would only push children to bypass restrictions.
Wellness and fitness entrepreneur Meenal Pathak, a mother of two, sits firmly in the camp that believes India should adopt a policy like Australia's.
As both a mother and an influencer, her concern revolves around addiction, safety and the psychological fragility of early teens. She points out that children are increasingly getting hooked to online gaming platforms and communication portals like Discord. In her view, this makes a ban necessary because "kids' brains are so soft and impressionable" and are far too vulnerable to the addictive pull of these platforms.
She worries about children being left unsupervised with devices, saying that even with parental controls, "today's kids are pretty intelligent" and can find ways around any restrictions. For her, the concern goes beyond screen time. It is the danger of who the children might be interacting with through games like Roblox. She highlights warnings issued internationally about grooming risks and says parents often have no idea who is on the other side of the screen.
"Just imagine if your kid is alone at home with a device: a laptop, iPad, or phone. Just know that your child could be talking to anyone, because Roblox and similar games have been clearly identified by US authorities and others as areas where sexual predators operate. You don't even know who is playing with your teenager. It could be a 45-year-old adult, or even a 50- or 60-year-old predator, sitting there talking to or playing games with your child," she said.
Pathak believes children should spend more time in real rather than digital environments. She insists that the highs they seek online should come from "real endorphins" through sports and outdoor play, adding that these activities teach children to lose and rise again. To her, this is a life skill that the online world simply cannot replicate. She calls for "a complete media ban for kids" and for parents to prioritise activities that pull them away from screens.
What Experts Say About Social Media's Impact On Kids
The Bad
Beyond the parenting angle, mental health professionals say Australia's decision signals something important.
Dr Kavita Arora, Child And Adolescent Psychiatrist, Founding Cohort Member, IMHA, Co-founder, Children First says, "Australia is moving forward in a way that is definitive, and not just India but all countries should move in this direction. When a government or a nation announces something like this, it signals that the problem is important enough to take a stance on. The reason they are doing it is because the problem is not being acknowledged with the gravity it needs, and therefore the measures have to be big enough for people to start noticing."
Dr Arora explains that what we are actually seeing on the ground is that social media has taken over everything else in a teen's real world. Everything that we construe as human and child development be it the body, the mind, relationships, connections is no longer being centred. This has taken over the developmental stages of children, and the impact of that will only be seen as they grow into adults.
Today, children spend more time online and less offline. Photo: Unsplash
Psychotherapist and founder of Bright Counselling Absy Sam agrees. She says a lot of social media content leads to heightened comparison, FOMO, and pressure to look perfect. Overstimulation can result in irritability, anxiety, mood swings, lack of concentration, and poor school performance.
"Children may start basing their self-worth on external validation: likes, follows, comments, and shares," she says.
Sam further adds that cognitively, children often develop shortened attention spans due to fast, high-dopamine social media content. This makes traditional learning materials seem boring and can reduce playtime, affecting brain development. Sleep disturbances and emotional or sensory overload are common, especially for neurodivergent children.
She also adds that when children spend more time online and less offline, which can mean missing out on real-world social skills like negotiation, conflict resolution, empathy, and self-compassion. There is also an increased risk of bullying, trolling, class shaming, unsafe interactions, and online grooming.
The Good
Absy says, however, there's a positive side to social media as well. She says with social media, children gain a creative outlet to express themselves: showcasing art, music, dance, and storytelling.
"They also have access to a lot of positive content online, such as educational videos, DIYs, and children creators doing wonderful work. For children who experience emotional neglect or absence from parents, social media can provide connection and comfort," she says.
She also adds that social media can help children explore new skills: coding, learning languages, home experiments: and offers quick access to information and platforms that boost visual-spatial skills and creativity.
At the same time, social media allows children to connect with peers who share similar interests, and marginalised or introverted kids may find a sense of belonging. They can also learn about different cultures and places.
Absy says, "As a parent, I feel a social media ban feels like a band-aid solution and probably won't help much."
Why Banning Social Media In India Won't Be Simple
While the motivations behind such a ban are valid, India has a distinct set of realities. Data shows that Indian kids are heavily using social media via smartphones, with high rates (over 80%) accessing platforms like WhatsApp, YouTube, and Instagram, often for 3+ hours daily.
Experts point out that most children use their parents' phones, which makes age-based restrictions almost impossible to monitor. With inexpensive data and widespread smartphone access, experts believe an outright prohibition would be unrealistic and might even backfire.
Sam highlights a cultural factor that rarely appears in Western debates. Families here rely on WhatsApp, video calls and social media platforms to stay connected across generations. She asks how a ban could function in an environment where a child might need to speak to their grandparents or extended family on the very platforms that might be restricted.
Most children use their parents' phones, which makes age-based restrictions almost impossible. Photo: Unsplash
She also notes that much of children's education, schoolwork and co-curricular learning comes from YouTube and other online platforms. Removing access altogether, she argues, would simply push children towards secret accounts, VPNs or borrowed devices (this happened when India banned a lot of apps and porn, previously). This would expose them to more unsupervised spaces, which she believes is far more dangerous.
Sam's approach leans towards digital structure rather than digital prohibition. She stresses the need for awareness around healthy screen use and the emotional, cognitive and social impact of online platforms.
Where Does This Leave India
Australia may have triggered the world's most aggressive policy shift for digital well-being, but India sits in a more complex space. The conversation here is not just about safety, addiction or mental health. It is also about access, affordability, community and the way families function.
Parents like Meenal Pathak believe a ban is necessary to protect young teens from a digital world that has far too many risks. And, experts believe the solution lies in structured usage, digital literacy and supervision instead of prohibition.
What is clear is that the debate has only just begun. Australia's social media ban for kids policy may not be directly replicable in India, but it has opened a door for deeper scrutiny of how much control children should have over the online world and how much of that world parents and policymakers should regulate.