Should Ireland follow Australia and ban under-16s from social media?

Australia’s under-16 social media ban is forcing Ireland to confront who should bear responsibility for protecting children online

File photo dated 15/03/19 of a stock photo of Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp, social media app icons on a smart phone. People who post on social media overnight are more likely to have poor mental wellbeing, a new study suggests. Issue date: Friday October 10, 2025.

When Australia introduced the world’s first nationwide ban on under-16s accessing major social media platforms, it didn’t just trigger a domestic reckoning — it lit a fuse internationally.

Britain is now actively weighing a similar move. In Ireland, the debate is gathering pace.