As Australia becomes the first country to enact sweeping restrictions on social media use for children under 16 and parents worldwide are watching with interest. What Australia is doing may feel radical, but it represents serious, long-overdue leadership. In New Jersey, where we are grappling with significant and rising mental health challenges among youth, it’s a wake-up call as well as a call to action.
Australia’s New Approach: Safety, Simplicity, and Shared Responsibility
Under the new Australian law, major platforms - including TikTok, YouTube, Facebook/Instagram, Snapchat, Reddit and others - are required to prevent users under 16 from maintaining accounts. Platforms that fail to comply face up to AUS $49.5 million in addition to reputational risks.
The law importantly puts the burden not on parents or children, but on the tech companies themselves. The message: While parents have a responsibility to guide and oversee their children’s digital engagement, they should not be expected to monitor every login. Platform providers must therefore design systems with built-in safeguards that meaningfully protect children from harm.
Advocates, including mental-health organizations, argue the Australian ban can help shield young people from social media’s well-documented harms: cyberbullying, addictive scroll cycles, distorted body image and self-esteem, and constant pressure to compare.
Yes, there are critics. Some warn the law may cut off teens who rely on online communities for creative expression, social support, or escape. But Australia seems to be saying: We can’t wait for perfect solutions. The well-being and stability of our children deserve action now.
Australia’s approach highlights a sharp contrast with the U.S. framework under Section 230, which largely shields platforms from liability for user activity while limiting affirmative duties of care.
For U.S. policymakers, this raises a critical question: Should Section 230 evolve from a liability shield alone toward a shared-responsibility model that preserves free expression while requiring platforms to meaningfully mitigate well-documented harms, especially to children?
Why New Jersey (and the U.S.) Should Pay Attention
1. Teen Mental Health Is at a Crisis Point
In New Jersey, as across the country, rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide among adolescents have surged [JAMA]. Our kids are growing up under digital pressure replete with social media “likes,” comparisons, and isolation disguised as connection, a perfect recipe for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). If Australia’s policy can shore up mental and emotional health by limiting early exposure to social media, we should explore how similar protections might help here.
2. It’s Less About Banning All Screen Time, More About Building Healthy Foundations
Australia’s law doesn’t ban all online activity. Youth can still enjoy video games, educational resources, or online tools, and platforms used for education or mental health such as online classrooms or counseling services remain available.
In New Jersey, we could encourage similar nuances: promote digital literacy, safe online environments, and a culture that values real-world relationships and offline development, especially for kids.
3. Holding Platform Providers Responsible
Too often parents are left with the nearly impossible task of policing every swipe, post, and login. Australia’s law shifts the burden to the companies whose algorithms and design choices largely shape online youth experiences. That’s a powerful rebalancing of responsibility we should consider here.
4. A Signal That Government Must Act
Pleas for “self-regulation” from tech companies over the past 10+ years have largely failed [firms bury evidence of harm]. The Australian government’s willingness to impose real consequences - fines, compliance requirements - shows leadership and seriousness. It forces a broader conversation about the digital age and regulation. Our state’s lawmakers and community leaders should take note.
What New Jersey Could Do, Right Now
· Commission a bipartisan task force including youth, parents, educators, mental-health experts, and technologists to study whether age-based social-media restrictions make sense in the state.
· Encourage school districts and youth organizations to offer more offline enrichment - sports, arts, mentoring, community groups - so young people have meaningful alternatives to screen time.
· Adopt “digital wellness” education in middle and high schools: teaching about healthy habits, online boundaries and emotional resilience.
· Push for greater accountability from platforms that profit from teen engagement: demand transparency, age verification and user protections.
In Praise of Leadership and Hope for Our State
Some will say Australia is going too far, too fast. Others will worry about overreach, social isolation, or stifling young voices. But real leadership has never been about playing it safe; it’s about acting when the future of our children is at stake.
New Jersey should be inspired by Australia’s courage, learn from their experiment, and start a serious conversation about how to protect our youth in a digital age.
At the end of the day, our children’s mental and emotional health - and their ability to grow, thrive, connect, and lead - is worth protecting.
