The Inquiry · BBC World Service

Will Australia’s social media ban start a global trend?

December 2, 2025·24 min·2 clips

Halloween masks and fake beards are already fooling the face-scan tech Australia plans to deploy.

One question carries the episode. Could Australia's social media ban become the model for a wider international response to children online? The opening turns to Europe. In September 2025, Ursula von der Leyen says the European Union is watching Australia and learning from its attempt. The ban is due on the 10th of December 2025, when Australia will stop under-16s from using certain apps, including TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, X and Facebook. The scale is global. One expert says Western, Silicon Valley social media now reaches far beyond its origin, including India, Africa, and South America. China gives the episode its contrast case. Social media use is widespread there too, but state oversight, national scale, and ID controls change how the platforms work. Children still find ways around the rules. Some underage users borrow IDs, which makes the point neatly: even a strict system leaves gaps. Australia's result is still unknown. The episode treats the ban's efficiency, and whether it can make online spaces less harmful, as open questions. The child audience is not one block. One witness separates canny children who will find access, vulnerable children at greater risk, and the majority for whom social media is simply normal culture. The risks are direct. Australia's eSafety regulator surveyed about 3,500 children aged 10 to 17 and found that 74% had seen or heard harmful content. Cyberbullying is also in the record. More than half said they had experienced it, while around one in five had seen material suggesting how a person could hurt or kill themselves. The benefits are not brushed aside. Sonia argues that children use platforms to learn, play, and socialise, especially when they find others who share their games, interests, identities, or struggles.

As heard by us

A measured look at Australia's under-16 social media ban and why Europe is watching.

Australia's under-16 social media ban is framed as a live test of whether a national government can set limits on platforms built to operate globally.

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Why you'd press play

Australia's teen social media ban is the test Europe is watching.

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