News commentary

Kids are outsmarting social media bans. That’s not a problem we need to solve.

MIT Technology Review · Michal Luria, Aliya Bhatia, Danah Boyd · last updated

Social media bans are stacking up. In July, France joined Australia in restricting minors from accessing social media—barring children under 15 from major platforms, before the ban was blocked by the country’s top court on human rights grounds. The UK aims to forbid kids under 16 from accessing Facebook, TikTok, and other platforms in early 2027, and the EU has announced its own plan to prohibit social media for kids under 15.