Over time, our world’s technology has changed rapidly, and continues to do so today, from a pencil to a cellphone, and eventually to the invention of social media. New York State has recently implemented a cellphone ban during school hours. Here at OPHS, we’ve complied with the ban with the YONDR pouches. Students have tried finding ways around the ban, some finding it intolerable, but that’s just the beginning. Technology usage isn’t the only thing that’s being limited, but social media, too. The United States isn’t the only country enforcing limits.
On December 10, 2025, Australia implemented a ban on social media for teens under the age of 16. Every underage teenager’s social media accounts have been deleted on platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter).
In a news conference, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese claimed that the social media ban “will make an enormous difference,” and “It is one of the biggest social and cultural changes that our nation has faced.” Despite the ban, and although many parents were supportive of it, many underage Australian teens have discovered a way around it.
A 15-year-old Australian girl had accounts on TikTok and Instagram. She originally signed up on TikTok with her real age, and her account was deleted when the ban occurred. Yet, her Instagram account, with an age of over 16, was not removed from the platform, and she could still access it. Even though Australia made an effort to limit social media accessibility for young teens, the measures haven’t shown to be enforceable. This girl shows that putting only an age restriction, which you control in account settings and could change, isn’t enough to make the ban effective. For example, in our school, we have YONDR pouches, and in order to enforce the cell phone ban, teachers check students’ pouches every morning to make sure they’re locked. But it’s more difficult to control teens’ activities online around the country than just their phone usage in one school.
Australia may be the first country to do this, but there’s a chance Australia won’t be the last. Parents and guardians continue to grow more and more concerned about teens’ social media use, and there have already been significant changes, like in Australia. It is likely that we will see more changes like this in the near future.
