Australian social media ban for teens sparks renewed calls for US action

After Australian teenagers were kicked off social media this week following a nationwide social media ban on anyone under the age of 16 in the country, many lawmakers and other political figures have called on the US to do something similar.

Congress has passed some general online safety laws, such as limits on the collection of minors’ information by social media platforms, but so far Congress has not enacted any legislation that would change who can use social media platforms or how apps are designed for minors.

“I anticipate there is opposition from the tech industry,” said Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y. “I view social media as a disaster for the mental health of the next generation and feel that society is conducting an unprecedented experiment on the psyche of young Americans.”

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Torres said he believes reform is needed, but acknowledged that it’s a “complicated area” in light of the First Amendment.

“I think more action in Congress would be wise,” Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., told Fox News Digital when asked why he thought Congress had not passed legislation to better protect children on social media. “Obviously we’re a country that values ​​freedom, and so a lot of people think it’s either a better use of power by the state or a better use of power by parents.”

However, Johnson stated that he thought “we need to hold some of these platforms accountable” and stated that “they have technological tools that they can easily use to keep children safe.”

After Australia lifted its social media ban on children under 16, both Republicans and Democrats came out to call on the US to implement better safety measures for children on social media. Those figures include Rahm Emanuel, who was former President Barack Obama’s chief of staff while he was in office, Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas and Sen. It featured Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii.

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Rahm Emanuel, former mayor of Chicago and former chief of staff to Barack Obama, said the US should emulate Australia’s measures to protect children from social media. (REUTERS/Al Drago)

Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital that one of the reasons Congress has stalled on passing legislation to protect children on social media is because “a lot of people don’t know about the dangers.”

“I think it’s gotten worse,” Norman said of the dangers of social media for children. “There must be an age and we must track down something that is destroying our children.”

But some Republicans are also fed up with the push to regulate social media for children, particularly efforts to impose age limits on the platforms. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., told Fox News Digital she probably wouldn’t be in favor of an “all-out ban.”

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., said she was tired of a “total ban” like Australia’s that prevents children from accessing social media. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

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“I’m still a capitalist, and we have federalism here and we have freedom,” Boeert said. “But we have a lot of good legislation to address the solution, but unfortunately the leadership is prioritizing things that the American people are not doing, and I think it’s time to read America’s chamber so we can pass good legislation.”