On December 10th, 2025, Australia put a social media ban into place for children under the age of 16. 

The ban applies to Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Reddit, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitch, X, and Youtube, according to the eSafety Commissioner, the Australian government’s independent online safety regulator. The social media ban hit the news worldwide making people question, “What if it happened here?”

In the United States, there are eleven states that have made changes to their laws regarding social media. Louisiana, Texas, Maryland, Utah, Tennessee, Florida, and Minnesota have some sort of restrictions on social media as of December 2025. Three more states that are trying to deal with social media, Arkansas, Ohio, and California, have laws that are currently blocked by both federal and state court injunctions according to Peter Gratton of Investopedia. As for Connecticut, the House of Representatives passed a bill that could give families more control over how their kids use social media and limit how platforms can target minors with content, according to Mike Savino of NBC Connecticut.

Norwich Free Academy (NFA) student Lydia Stolaronek opposes the possibility of a social media ban in the U.S. “I would be sad because I like sharing my ideas and thoughts on social media,” said Stolaronek. 

NFA Junior Logan Voebel is also worried about a social media ban. “I think there could be some benefits of social media bans, but overall I don’t think it would be a good idea. I think that if they banned social media, it would not only be silencing and removing the ability for students to express themselves, but it would also remove access to help and ways to look for mental health sources,” said Voebel.

NFA students aren’t the only ones thinking about a ban. “I don’t know if a total ban would be effective. Historically, people tend to find ways around it, so I am not sure how well it could be managed anyway,” said Killeen Dziavit, Head of the English Department at NFA. 

NFA counselor Anne Marie Larkin believes that banning social media doesn’t exactly help. “Teaching emotion regulation—practical skills teens can use themselves—feels like a better option that still respects their independence. I agree with this, life is a balance. You have to learn how to manage social media.”

On the other hand, Jeff Joyce, English teacher at NFA believes a nationwide ban would be a great idea for the US. “I would be ecstatic if there were a nationwide ban. As a teacher, I spend more time looking at the tops of students’ heads and dealing with gaps in understanding due to inattentiveness due to social media. A ban would lead to more academic engagement, personal attention, social interaction, empathy, and creative play for children and adults alike.” 

Now that the United States is thinking about the impacts of social media, as a result of the ban in Australia, the question remains: What will happen to Social Media in America?