by Mati Kovitz

October 26, 2026

On December 10, 2025 Australia took action against social media for teens under 16, due to social media being bad for mental health and many other things that correlate.

Australia took a big step towards the removal of social media for teens. The Australian government  has even threatened a 99 million dollar fine for any social media that doesn’t comply. This is because of research from Stanford Medicine, and Mayo Clinic. They have discovered that something as little as late night scrolling interrupts circadian rhymes, leading to chronic sleep loss, reduced exercise and daytime fatigue. While social media also exposes teens to so many filtered images, which cause low self esteem, body dissatisfaction and disordered eating patterns.

The government of Australia found that 96% of Australian teens from 10-15 uses social media. They have found that a large percent of Australian teens were exposed to things that cause  anxiety, self harm, violence and comparison culture. Over half surveyed children reported cyberbullying and grooming behavior. The reason this bill was passed was to protect teens from mental health risks, addictive algorithms and online harm.

Research shows that social media traps people in a dopamine loop, which causes people to always be checking their phone which is shown to boost anxiety. The mental health for the Australian youth is their top priority.