Australia social media ban is driving healthy public debate, expert says

Dominique Chen says bringing harms, benefits into open outweighs enforcement

Dominique Chen, who was part of the Silicon Valley tech boom and founded a software company, now warns of the dangers posed by social media. (Photo by Yuji Murakami)

MASAKO HARA

January 25, 2026 09:21 JST

TOKYO -- Australia's decision in December to become the first country to legally ban under-16s from certain social media platforms is having ripple effects far beyond its borders, as governments weigh whether regulation can finally catch up with the digital lives of children.