Governments around the world are starting to put more distance between kids and social media. Australia now requires major platforms to prevent users under 16 from having accounts, and the UK has announced plans for a similar restriction beginning in 2027.

There are valid reasons for these policies. Social media platforms should be held accountable for how their products are designed, and parents deserve more support when setting boundaries online.

But keeping a girl off social media and preparing her to understand social media are two different things.

A ban can delay access. It cannot build media literacy.

Restricting an account doesn't mean leaving social media

Australia gives us the first major look at what an under-16 social media restriction actually looks like.

Since December 2025, platforms including Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Facebook and Reddit have been required to take reasonable steps to stop Australians under 16 from creating or keeping accounts. Under-16s can still view publicly available content that does not require an account.

Three months into the policy, eSafety found that the percentage of children ages 10 to 15 with an account on an age-restricted platform had fallen from 52.4% to 42.1%. But overall use remained much higher, dropping only from 85.9% to 81.5%. Many children still had accounts, while others could access social media without logging in or through shared accounts.

A restriction may reduce access, but it does not remove social media from a girl's world. And eventually, the restriction ends.

Then she turns 16. Now what?

Turning 16 does not suddenly teach a girl why her feed keeps showing her the same beauty trend, how an influencer makes money from a recommendation, whether an image has been filtered or generated with AI, or why one interaction can change what an algorithm shows her next.

Those are learned skills.

The American Psychological Association recommends that adolescents receive social media literacy training before using social media independently. That includes learning to question whether content is accurate, recognize excessive comparison, understand how images can be manipulated, and identify signs of problematic social media use.

The goal is not only delaying the moment a girl enters social media. It is making sure she has the tools to bring with her when she does.

Platforms can't be the only line of defense

There is also a bigger question here: how much responsibility should sit with the same platforms shaping the experience?

Meta has faced growing legal pressure over how Instagram and Facebook affect young users. In 2026, U.S. states accused the company of designing features that kept children and teens on its platforms longer and of collecting data from some users under 13 without parental consent. Meta denied wrongdoing.

In August 2026, Meta agreed to a settlement worth up to $18 billion. As part of the agreement, the company committed to new protections for young users, including stronger age checks, a default two-hour daily time limit, overnight restrictions, fewer notifications during school hours, and an option for a non-personalized feed.

Media literacy is self-esteem protection

That’s where media literacy becomes part of the solution. Age restrictions can create distance, and safer platform design can reduce some risks, but girls still need the skills to understand what they are seeing once they are online. Media literacy helps them recognize when an image has been edited, notice when an algorithm is shaping what fills their feed, understand when insecurity is being used to sell them something, and pause when what they are seeing starts to affect how they feel about themselves.

The goal is not to make girls afraid of social media or expect them to be unaffected by it. It is to give them enough understanding to question what they see before they start questioning themselves. A social media ban can delay access. Media literacy can help protect her self-esteem long after that ban ends.

Sources & further reading

• Australia’s social media age restrictions: Early findings on under-16 account access and age-checking gaps.

• Social media use in adolescence: APA guidance on media literacy, comparison, and safer social media use.

• What Meta agreed to change for young users: Reuters overview of Meta’s 2026 youth-safety settlement.

• What happens when teens turn 16?: UK guidance on continued protections for older teens.