The Free Speech Union of Australia is delighted to host a debate on the social media ban in Melbourne. Now we are nearly 6 months into the social media ban for under 16’s, we should ask whether it is worth it. Specifically, we pose the following question for debate: “do the benefits of a government social media ban outweigh the harms?”

For: Dany Elachi is the founder of the Heads Up Alliance, a group of parents advocating for greater parental control and caution over access to smartphones and social media. In 2023, the Heads Up Alliance were responsible for successfully lobbying to ban phones from NSW Catholic and State Schools. While Dany has misgivings about the specific legislation, he believes that tools which help parents to delay access to social media is worth it.

Against: Dr Reuben Kirkham of the Free Speech Union of Australia. Reuben argues that benefits are overstated, and that the harms and unintended consequences flowing from the age verification regime outweigh any perceived benefits. Whilst there are problems with social media platforms, Reuben argues that a ban will not protect the most vulnerable, but rather makes the situation worse.