December 10, 2025, may well be remembered as a turning point for Australia. The government led by Anthony Albanese, leader of the Australian Labor Party enforced a nationwide ban on social media for children under 16.   

Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, YouTube, Snapchat, Reddit, Kick, Twitch and TikTok were expected to take steps from Wednesday to remove accounts held by users under 16 years of age, and prevent teens from registering new accounts. The main reasons cited for this drastic step have been steeply rising instances of cyberbullying, sexual exploitation and mental health issues among children.

Studies indicate that Millennials and Gen Z have been using (and misusing) social media much more than others. Social media has infamously added itself to the list of addictions among youth today. According to a report by India Today, more than half of Indian youth aged 9-17 spend over 3 hours daily on social media and gaming.  This is precious time taken out from activities like spending time face to face with family and friends and outdoor activities important for their mental and physical wellbeing. 

Social media has the capacity to hook impressionable minds through instant rewards leading to addictive behaviour. From a time when young people wondered why a ripe apple falls to the earth to one where they obsess over getting more ‘likes’, we have come a long way- mostly in the wrong direction. The ban on social media is a strong attempt towards a ‘U’ turn. As said by the Australian Prime Minister, it is an attempt to return childhood to children. The world and India is looking at how things work out there. 

The question is should India take a step in that direction? Will it or won’t it work in an environment like India? In India too there have been attempts recently to curb social media overuse by children. A plea seeking to prohibit children below 13 from using social media was however dismissed in the Supreme Court with the following advice, “It is a policy matter. You ask Parliament to enact the law”.

 India’s closest attempt so far toward age-based control, is the rules of the digital personal data protection (DPDP) Act that requires those under 18 to obtain "verifiable consent" of parents. That is perhaps the closest alternative that Indian ethos allows for.

Ban is an extreme and paternalistic intervention that basically says that children under 16 do not have discretion and hence the control has to be given to the State. An alternative could be to strengthen discretion among children through digital literacy. This rhymes well with the Indian Constitution that upholds freedom of information. 

The question then is what is the way to preserve liberty while ensuring that children do not fall prey to social media addiction? Some would definitely argue that education travels where enforcement cannot. The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act reveals the (unpalatable) truth that laws may fall flat on the face due to lack of societal consciousness.

Clearly the aim of such a ban would be to reduce mental distress and exploitation of children. But the problem is that it is akin to sewing cloth with a sword instead of a needle.  It may in fact lead children to explore even more risky options to gain access to such content, not to mention many ways teens may devise to circumvent the problem. 

Even as I write there is news that teens in Australia have been forging facial recognition with pictures of elders and even their pets. The very fact that the benefits of social media still outweigh its costs in the minds of children is a dire call from their side. It is time for us to stop and reflect as to where we might be failing them. 

The main point is laws should enhance human capabilities, not merely reduce harm. From this standpoint digital literacy wins against social media ban. Some would say a ban is like throwing away the baby out with the bath water. While it would reduce exposure it will also reduce digital skills and participation in public discourse. Most important, in India social media platforms like YouTube and Facebook happen to be a source of knowledge for a huge section of youth who would be left without any alternative in such a scenario. 

A ban protects but undermines the child’s right to grow into a competent digital citizen. Digital literacy respects the idea that children mature with guidance, not isolation. It would expand the capabilities required of the youth in their future. Children would learn how to navigate the complex online universe with a deeper understanding of not just what is harmful but why it is harmful. Most important of all, it would develop resilience among children and youth giving them the power to recognize and counteract manipulation, resist addiction and say no to peer pressure. 

These skills would be carried throughout their lives. Seen through this lens, digital literacy does far more than prevent harm. It aligns closely with the constitutional vision of developing full, free citizens — individuals who exercise autonomy not because the State has removed all risks, but because they have been prepared to meet those risks with awareness and confidence.

Anindita Sinha teaches Economics at Tripura Government Law College.