Teen Social Media Use Is a Collective Action Problem and Requires Urgent, Concerted Effort Beyond Bans

In December 2025, Australia became the first country to set a minimum age of 16 for social media accounts. In this survey I argue that teen social media use is a collective action problem. Causal evidence shows that social media is habit forming and harms mental health. Drawing on work on social traps and a recent model of bad networks (Akerlof, Holden, and Thornton, 2026), I explain why marginal policies may fail. The fight against the tobacco industry offers a useful parallel, although the health and productivity costs of social media are not yet quantified. Worrying statistics emerged from PISA and from the global rollout of 3G mobile internet on the learning costs of digital distraction. Two evaluations of the Australian ban find that most banned teens still use the platforms, with compliance falling over time. A study of school phone bans offers a silver lining. A national ban is necessary but not sufficient. Enforcement at the level of individual accounts, coordinated action in schools and families, and digital literacy taught with a mentor mindset would give the ban the best chance of bringing teenagers along.