Culture · Open for your vote
Should children under 16 be banned from social media?
Australia's minimum age law for social media took effect on 10 December 2025, and other countries are now deciding whether to follow. Jon Haidt and Ravi Iyer argue that every country should set the age at 16 with no parental-consent loophole, because a rule that applies to everyone is the only way out of the 'everyone else has one' trap. Lisa M. Given, an information sciences professor at RMIT University, looks at how the ban has worked in its first months and argues that bans are not the answer. Both want children safer online. They disagree on whether an age ban is the way to get there. Haidt and Iyer wrote in January 2026, before the early Australian data; Given wrote in June 2026. Read both cases, then vote for the argument you find more convincing.