Australia Just Banned Teens From Social Media, Could Michigan Be Next?

Michigan lawmakers are once again trying to get a handle on teens and social media, and this time the proposals are some of the strongest the state has considered.

What Michigan Lawmakers Are Proposing

The latest bills would require every user to verify their age, and anyone under 18 would need a parent or guardian to formally approve the account. If parents don’t consent, teens would be blocked from creating or keeping an account, even if they already have one.

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For those who do get permission, their page becomes a 'minor account' with built-in restrictions. Parents would gain access to posts and private messages and could set limits on daily screen time or shut the account down overnight. Curfews would default to 10:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m., and minor accounts couldn’t be searched or targeted with ads or recommendations. Supporters say it gives parents real authority at a time when schools are overwhelmed and youth mental health concerns keep climbing.

Why Privacy Groups Are Pushing Back

Opponents argue the plan comes with serious privacy issues. They warn that age verification could mean giving up ID info, biometrics, or other sensitive data, creating new risks while dragging the state into expensive First Amendment battles. Several other states have already run into court challenges over similar laws.

Australia Takes a Much More Aggressive Approach

Meanwhile, Australia has jumped far beyond anything Michigan is proposing. A sweeping new law there requires platforms to identify and disable accounts belonging to anyone under 16. Overnight, hundreds of thousands of teens were locked out of Snapchat, Facebook, TikTok, Reddit, and more. Companies face multimillion-dollar fines if they don’t remove underage users, and teens are already encountering sudden deactivations.

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So as Michigan debates parental controls and age checks, Australia is enforcing outright bans. And it raises a fair question: if the pressure keeps mounting and these milder steps fall short, could Michigan’s rules eventually move in that direction too?