A Social Media Ban for Minors Requires Data From Everyone

Three 11-year-old boys use their phones while sitting outside a school in Sydney, Australia, on Dec. 8, 2025. Rick RycroftAP Photo

Commentary

In debating a social media ban for minors, it appears we face a choice between two perceived harms. One is the reported damage that social media is doing to the mental health of children and adolescents. The other is the normalization of mass age verification systems—most likely involving biometrics—that would apply to everyone, not just minors. This carries real risks of privacy invasion, data breaches, and future mission creep.