News in Social Media & Brain Health

On December 10, 2025, Australia became the first country to formally ban users under the age of 16 from accessing major social media platforms. The world has displayed vast emotions and opinions about this drastic move, as tech companies and policy makers watch closely. Targeted platforms include Alphabet, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, Snapchat and X (CNBC). The controversial policy means millions of Australian children have lost access to their social media accounts.

What is the reason behind this ban? The Australian government has noted that the restrictions “aim to protect Australians from pressures and risks that users can be exposed to while logged in to social media accounts. These come from design features that encourage them to spend more time on screens, while also serving up content that can harm their health and wellbeing.”  During a critical stage of a child’s development, policy makers and doctors have indicated in quite simple and concerning terms that the ban is “needed to protect the mental health and wellbeing of Australian children and teens. They believe the risks of social media, such as cyberbullying, harmful content, and online predators, outweigh the positives.” (UNICEF Australia)

Brain health and its connection to addictive social media has been widely reported in various news channels long before Australia’s new policy. A previous study conducted by UNC in 2023 found that habitual checking of social media may impact young adolescents

brain development. This University of North Carolina study provides some of the first findings about social media's possible consequences on the development of adolescent brains. “The findings suggest that checking social media repeatedly among young teens ages 12 to 13 may be associated with changes in how their brains develop over a three-year period. The brains of adolescents who checked social media often, more than 15 times per day, became more sensitive to social feedback.” (UNC Research) Study co-author Mitch Prinstein, who also serves as the chief science officer for the American Psychological Association, indicated that the repeated checking behaviors on social media could have long-standing and important consequences for adolescent’s development. 

Moreover, the public is mostly aware that excessive “screen time” may be associated with developmental delays in young children, according to the published Journal of the American Medical Association of Pediatrics. Dr. Jennifer F. Cross, attending pediatrician and a developmental and behavioral pediatrics expert at NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children’s Hospital said, “There is emerging evidence that there may be some structural brain changes associated with greater exposure to screen time as a young child.”

How will society and future generations who face technology and social media overload handle these behaviors and consequences? A simple, yet not-so-simple, suggestion;  a “time out”. At least for a day, but a full month is also recommended. Tools and strategies to help create a healthier relationship with social media is to create healthy boundaries. Dr. Anne Marie Albino at Columbia University’s Clinic for Anxiety and Related Disorders recommends boundaries which include learning to put phones away at meal time, daily exercise, and understanding how to respond to comments while ignoring others that may be inappropriate and learning when to block people. (NYP.org)

Could Australia’s new policy on social media resonate across the globe and influence other policy makers? Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese urges children to “start a new sport, new instrument, or read that book that has been sitting there for some time on your shelf.” (Reuters)