"Children should not have access to social media". As 2026 dawns, this stance is being progressively adopted by multiple countries, following the radical example set by Australia last month. Indeed, as of December 2025, a new Australian law prevents children under the age of 16 from creating or using accounts on prevalent social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
The main rationale behind this law is to safeguard children from the risks to cognitive development and mental health that may arise from excessive and injudicious use of social media platforms at a formative stage. In 2026, spur- red on by the Australian commitment to children's wellbeing over the powerful corporate interests represented by social media companies, a host of other countries such as France, [Malaysia])https://fulcrum.sg/malaysias-social-media-ban-for-under-16s-protection-or-overreach/) and New Zealand will be formulating similar age-based restrictions on social media usage. Mauritius, a country in which roughly half of children aged 8-12 are already active on social media, has decided not to follow this path. What are the stakes of such an orientation?
The risks of excessive social media usage during formative years are documented and difficult to dispute. Social media offers children constant cognitive stimulation, which leads to decreased attention spans and difficulty engaging with real-world scenarios where instant gratification is not the norm. On social media platforms, children can be at high risk of bullying and harassment, both by peers and older predators. They are exposed to unrealistic beauty standards, which influences relationships with their own bodies. They are encouraged to undertake constant social comparison, which may lead to lowered self-esteem as well as higher rates of anxiety and depression. While global in scale, the potentially nefarious effects of social media on youngsters take on a particular resonance in the Mauritian context, where they can be exacerbated by high social and academic expectations, as well as make youngsters easier victims to already prevalent drug abuse.
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In our country, the Australian example did not go unnoticed. Last month, it led to a parliamentary discussion on online threats to Mauritian children and teenagers. A key aspect discussed was cyberbullying, which has reached terrifying proportions on our island: estimates suggest that in Mauritius, cybercrimes soared to an average of 17 per day in 2025, with over 100 children and teenagers being affected, and the majority of victims being young women. While acknowledging the gravity of the situation and underlining the various measures being put in place to promote cybersecurity, the Minister of Information Technology, Communication and Innovation was clear that a one-size-fits all approach is not the solution: "L'Australie a son propre contexte. À Maurice, nous examinons les différentes options qui s'offrent à nous, mais il est clair que nous n'irons pas dans cette direction."The specificities of the Mauritian context mentioned include implementation challenges and constitutional freedom of speech.
It is noteworthy to hear a Mauritian decision-maker reject unthinking imitation of a "gran pei." Indeed, we continue to inhabit a world where models of "development" continue to be seen as linear - a straight line going from "developing" to "developed," as though there was only one form and direction that progress could take. In such a world, for Mauritius to seek to privilege thoughtful adaptation over straightforward replication is a valuable attempt in its own right. Additionally, the Mauritian reluctance to embrace an agerelated ban on social media also makes sense in light of other arguments. For example, multiple voices highlight that social media can be an important tool for connection, education and self-expression.
Cutting off young people's access to social media can isolate them from their peers and from valuable educational resources. This would have a disproportionate effect on young people who are already marginalised, thus deepening existing social stratifications. It would also inhibit a widely used avenue for youth creativity. In the Mauritian context, for example, TikTok has become a rich platform for young people's content creation in Kreol morisien, a language stigmatised for centuries and that is only slowly obtaining the recognition it deserves.
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At the same time, "adaptation" cannot be a mask for avoidance: it is not enough for authorities to simply combat existing cases of cybercrime without proactively taking steps to prevent the emergence of such cases in the first place. In other words, if we as a society have collectively accepted that social media is an irrevocable part of our children's lives, then teaching them how to use it critically and judiciously - to make it a tool but not a crutch - must be an utmost priority.
This involves, for example, creating space in school curricula for concepts such as media literacy (e.g. How does one detect fake news?) and digital citizenship (e.g. What does it mean to be "respectful" on social media? What does one do when digital boundaries are crossed?) Deciding against age-restricted social media cannot be an easy or politically expedient "way out" of a thorny debate. On the other hand, such a decision implies a commitment to making the next generation safe, healthy and well-equipped to navigate both digital and nondigital worlds.
