‘Grand social experiment’: Australia’s social media ban turns heads globally, with mixed results

Wed, 10 Dec 2025

From a live blog on the BBC to cautious reaction in the New York Times, here’s how the world’s media covered the ban

The BBC blogged about it, News Corp boasted about it and the New York Times questioned its effectiveness.

Australia’s world-first laws stopping children accessing social media until they turn 16 turned heads globally, with mixed and nuanced results.