A global movement is underway to reshape how children interact with technology. From Australia’s world-first social media ban to France’s imminent legislation and the UK’s nationwide consultation, governments are taking unprecedented steps to address what many parents have long felt: smartphones and social media are fundamentally changing childhood—and not always for the better.
If you’re a parent wondering what these changes mean for your family, here’s everything you need to know about the policies sweeping the globe and the science driving them.
Australia Leads the Way with Historic Social Media Ban
In December 2025, Australia became the first country in the world to implement a comprehensive social media ban for children under 16. The legislation covers major platforms including TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, Threads, Reddit, Kick, and Twitch.
The numbers that prompted Australian lawmakers to act are sobering. According to government research commissioned in 2025, 96% of Australian children aged 10-15 were using social media. Of those young users, seven out of ten had been exposed to harmful content, including misogynistic and violent material, as well as content promoting eating disorders and suicide.
Perhaps most alarming: one in seven children reported experiencing grooming-type behavior from adults or older children, and more than half said they had been victims of cyberbullying.
Under the Australian system, children and parents face no penalties for violations. Instead, social media companies risk fines of up to A$49.5 million (approximately US$32 million) for serious or repeated breaches. Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, blocked approximately 550,000 accounts during the first days of the ban coming into effect.
France Follows Suit with Under-15s Ban
France is now on course to become the next major country to implement social media restrictions for children. As reported by BBC News, the French National Assembly is debating legislation that would block access for under-15s to networks such as Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok.
President Emmanuel Macron has endorsed the ban and wants it in place by the start of the school year in September 2026. “We cannot leave the mental and emotional health of our children in the hands of people whose sole purpose is to make money out of them,” Macron said last month.
The proposed French law includes an additional measure: banning mobile phones in senior schools (lycées). Phone bans are already in effect in French junior and middle schools.
The bill has strong cross-party support, with pro-Macron parties expected to be joined by the center-right Republicans and the populist right-wing National Rally.
The UK Joins the Conversation
The United Kingdom has launched its own consultation on potentially banning social media for children under 16. According to the UK Government’s official announcement, the three-month consultation will “seek views from parents, young people and civil society” on the effectiveness of a potential ban.
Beyond the social media question, the UK is taking immediate action on smartphones in schools. Ofsted, England’s education inspectorate, will now check mobile phone policies during every school inspection, with schools expected to be “phone-free by default.”
The government’s data reveals why this matters: while 99.9% of primary schools and 90% of secondary schools already have mobile phone policies, 58% of secondary school pupils reported that mobile phones were being used without permission in at least some lessons—rising to 65% for older students.
More than 60 Labour MPs have written to the Prime Minister backing a ban, while Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said her party would introduce a social media ban for under-16s if in power.
The Science Behind the Push
What’s driving this global policy shift? The data on teen smartphone and social media use paints a concerning picture.
According to Pew Research Center’s December 2024 survey, 95% of American teens now have access to a smartphone, and nearly half—46%—say they are online “almost constantly.” This represents a dramatic increase from just 24% a decade ago.
The same research found that nine in ten teens use YouTube, while roughly six in ten use TikTok and Instagram. Among teens who use these platforms, one-third visit at least one of them almost constantly throughout the day.
In the UK, data cited by BBC News shows that 97% of 12-year-olds now own a mobile phone. A BBC survey found that half of teenagers aged 13-18 feel anxious when they don’t have their smartphones with them, and 74% said they wouldn’t consider swapping their smartphones for a basic device that only allows calls and texts.
How School Phone Bans Actually Work
While governments debate social media legislation, schools aren’t waiting. A growing number of educational institutions are implementing phone-free environments using lockable pouch technology.
The concept is simple: students place their phones in special pouches that magnetically lock at the start of the school day. The phones stay with students, but they can’t access them until the magnets release at the end of classes.
According to BBC reporting, one leading provider, Yondr, has worked with around 2.2 million schools in America and says approximately 250,000 children in England now use its pouches across 500 schools.
The Heartwood Learning Trust in Yorkshire has invested £75,000 in Yondr pouches for its 5,000 students across six secondary schools. At Vale of York Academy, which began using the pouches in November 2025, headteacher Gillian Mills reported to the BBC an “immediate shift” in students’ focus.
“It’s given us an extra level of confidence that students aren’t having their learning interrupted,” Mills explained. “We’re not seeing phone confiscations now, which took up time, or the arguments about handing phones over—but also teachers are saying that they are able to teach.”
Students themselves have noticed the difference. Charlie, a year 10 student at Vale of York, told the BBC that despite initial resistance to the queues at the start of day, he and his peers are more “engaged” in the classroom and answering more questions rather than “zoning out.”
The Debate: Protection vs. Restriction
Not everyone agrees that bans are the answer. A coalition of 42 organizations, including the NSPCC, Childnet, and the Molly Rose Foundation, argued in a joint statement that a ban would be the “wrong solution.”
“It would create a false sense of safety that would see children—but also the threats to them—migrate to other areas online,” the organizations wrote. “Though well-intentioned, blanket bans on social media would fail to deliver the improvement in children’s safety and wellbeing that they so urgently need.”
Dr. Holly Bear from Oxford University, whose work focuses on mental health interventions for young people, told the BBC that the evidence for age-based social media bans is “still unfolding.”
“A balanced approach might be trying to reduce algorithm-driven exposure to harmful content, improving safeguards, supporting digital literacy and carefully evaluating any major policy interventions,” Dr. Bear suggested.
Technical challenges also remain. Australia’s own government report found that facial assessment technology—one method for age verification—is least reliable for teenagers, the exact demographic it’s meant to identify.
Beyond Social Media: The Concert Connection
The phone-free movement extends beyond schools. Artists and venues are increasingly embracing the same technology to create more immersive experiences.
When Sir Paul McCartney performed at the Santa Barbara Bowl, all 4,500 fans were required to place their mobile phones in lockable pouches for the duration of the concert. “Nobody’s got a phone,” McCartney declared during his 25-song setlist. “Really, it’s better!”
Other artists embracing phone-free performances include Dave Chappelle, Alicia Keys, Guns N’ Roses, Childish Gambino, and Jack White. Singer Sabrina Carpenter has discussed potentially banning phones at future concerts.
Graham Dugoni, founder of Yondr, sees a broader cultural shift emerging. “We’re getting close to threatening the root of what makes us human, in terms of social interaction, critical thinking faculties, and developing the skills to operate in the modern world,” he told the BBC.
What Parents Can Do Now
While governments and schools implement policies, parents don’t have to wait to take action. Here are practical steps based on the evidence:
1. Delay smartphone ownership: Just because 97% of 12-year-olds have phones doesn’t mean yours needs one. Many experts advocate for delaying smartphones until high school.
2. Consider phone-free zones at home: The same principle behind school pouches can apply at home. Designate meals, homework time, and the hour before bed as phone-free periods.
3. Model the behavior you want: The UK government’s new guidance explicitly states that teachers should not use their own phones for personal reasons in front of pupils. The same applies to parents.
4. Use parental controls—but don’t rely on them alone: While platforms offer various restrictions, remember that determined teens often find workarounds. Open conversation remains essential.
5. Know the signs of problematic use: Watch for anxiety when separated from devices, declining school performance, reduced face-to-face social interaction, or disrupted sleep patterns.
A Global Trend with Momentum
Beyond Australia, France, and the UK, other nations are watching closely. Denmark has announced plans to ban social media for under-15s, while Norway is considering similar proposals. Spain, Greece, and Ireland are also examining the Australian example.
The momentum suggests we’re witnessing a fundamental reassessment of childhood in the digital age. As the UK’s Technology Secretary Liz Kendall stated in announcing the consultation: “We are determined to ensure technology enriches children’s lives, not harms them—and to give every child the childhood they deserve.”
The Road Ahead
Whether you agree with outright bans or prefer a more nuanced approach focused on digital literacy and platform accountability, one thing is clear: the conversation about children and technology has fundamentally shifted.
The question is no longer whether to address the issue, but how. And for parents navigating this landscape today, that shift—from denial to action—may be the most significant development of all.
As Paul Nugent, founder of phone pouch company Hush, observed: “The first week or so after we install the system is a nightmare. Kids refuse, or try and break the pouches open. But once they realise no-one else has a phone, most of them embrace it as a kind of freedom.”
Perhaps that’s the ultimate irony of our hyperconnected age: sometimes the path to freedom lies in disconnecting.
