Australia is moving forward with a law that would restrict social media use for children under 16 (December 10, 2025). Recently, Google said the law would be “extremely difficult to enforce.”
The purpose of the law is clear. It aims to protect young teens from harmful content and from the highly addictive design of social platforms. Google’s view, however, is that while the intention is good, the law will be hard to make effective in practice.
Under the proposal, teens would have to verify their age to use social media, and platforms would be required to identify users’ ages.
Some options on the table include estimating age with AI or analyzing behavioral patterns to determine whether a user is a minor.
Google argues that these measures could create privacy risks and that it is not technically possible to block access perfectly.
I had mixed feelings reading this news.
It does seem true that kids struggle with self-control. When a notification buzzes, the hand reaches for the phone. When a short video ends, the next one is just a tap away. Even adults find it hard to resist in that environment, so how much harder must it be for kids…
But is blocking access by law really the best answer?
Honestly, I am not sure.
I am also never quite certain where the boundary of an adult’s role should be.
Limiting time, blocking apps, and tightening controls can be a form of protection, but they can also undermine trust. Some children respond well to conversation and guidance, while others feel oppressed and push back even more.
In the end, what matters may not be technical blocks but the “fence of trust” that grows within the relationship between adults and children.
Kids today are born into a digital environment.
For them, social media is not just a toy. It is a window to the world.
Rather than slamming that window shut, perhaps our role as adults is to stand beside them and help them learn to find their own way inside it.
I do not have a clear answer either.
But I do want to say this: before we try to teach restraint, we adults should practice it ourselves.
Let us put our phones down first and fill our time with conversation and empathy.
That might be the education today’s generation needs most.
Thank you for reading. Wishing you happiness, always!
You can view the original blog post in Korean at the links below: