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Social-media bans won’t work — there are better ways to keep kids safe

Planned bans — such as in Australia — should be replaced with research and resources to educate parents and carers about the best ways to manage their children’s use of social media.
By
  1. Marilyn Campbell

    1. Marilyn Campbell is a professor in the School of Education at the Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia.

In November 2024, the Australian government passed a world-first law, banning children under the age of 16 from using social-media platforms — it will be enacted by the end of the year. As an expert in cyberbullying, I’m concerned.

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Nature 637, 519 (2025)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-00051-0

Competing Interests

The author declares no competing interests.

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