
Sign up to save your podcasts
Or


On 10 December 2025, Australia will become the first country in the world to ban under-16s from using social media apps. Children will have their accounts deactivated on most platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, X, and Facebook.
Critics say the ban could push children to unregulated platforms, but prime minister Anthony Albanese argues the new law is to safeguard vulnerable members of society. World leaders are watching with interest.
Politicians from the UK, Denmark, Greece and France have all suggested tighter controls could be coming soon. New Zealand’s government wants tougher rules too, and public debates are also beginning in Japan and Indonesia.
Will Australia’s social media ban start a global trend? We speak to Terry Flew, professor of digital communication and culture at the University of Sydney, Australia; Sonia Livingstone, professor in the department of media and communications at the London School of Economics, United Kingdom; Lisa Given, professor of information sciences at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia and Jessica Galissaire, senior policy researcher at Interface, France
Producer/presenter: Daniel Rosney
(Photo: A child looking at a mobile phone. Credit: David Gray/AFP)
By BBC World Service4.6
696696 ratings
On 10 December 2025, Australia will become the first country in the world to ban under-16s from using social media apps. Children will have their accounts deactivated on most platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, X, and Facebook.
Critics say the ban could push children to unregulated platforms, but prime minister Anthony Albanese argues the new law is to safeguard vulnerable members of society. World leaders are watching with interest.
Politicians from the UK, Denmark, Greece and France have all suggested tighter controls could be coming soon. New Zealand’s government wants tougher rules too, and public debates are also beginning in Japan and Indonesia.
Will Australia’s social media ban start a global trend? We speak to Terry Flew, professor of digital communication and culture at the University of Sydney, Australia; Sonia Livingstone, professor in the department of media and communications at the London School of Economics, United Kingdom; Lisa Given, professor of information sciences at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia and Jessica Galissaire, senior policy researcher at Interface, France
Producer/presenter: Daniel Rosney
(Photo: A child looking at a mobile phone. Credit: David Gray/AFP)

7,613 Listeners

377 Listeners

525 Listeners

885 Listeners

1,049 Listeners

294 Listeners

5,478 Listeners

1,798 Listeners

958 Listeners

587 Listeners

2,103 Listeners

357 Listeners

593 Listeners

977 Listeners

414 Listeners

237 Listeners

848 Listeners

337 Listeners

351 Listeners

78 Listeners

476 Listeners

372 Listeners

232 Listeners

321 Listeners

3,151 Listeners

68 Listeners

836 Listeners

505 Listeners

623 Listeners

268 Listeners

260 Listeners

25 Listeners

63 Listeners

78 Listeners

2 Listeners