What Australia, the UK, and Indonesia Are Doing About It

If you’ve ever picked up your phone to watch one video… and suddenly an hour has passed — you’ve experienced it.

This is not accidental.

It is by design.

As governments begin responding to the risks of social media addiction in children, countries like Australia and the United Kingdom are introducing stronger regulations, while others like Indonesia are preparing to follow.

For Muslim families, this raises a deeper question:

Are we protecting our children — or leaving them to systems designed to keep them hooked?

What Is Persuasive Design (And Why It Matters)

Most social media platforms are built using persuasive design.

That means:

• there is no natural stopping point

• videos autoplay endlessly

• notifications pull users back in

This is not random.

It is engineered to maximise time on the platform.

For children, this is especially harmful. They are not just consuming content. They are being shaped by it.

What Australia Has Already Done

Australia has taken one of the strongest positions globally.

Recent changes have led to:

• millions of accounts identified as under-16 being removed

• stronger age verification expectations for platforms

• increased focus on child safety and online harm prevention

The direction is clear:

Children should not be freely exposed to addictive digital environments without safeguards.

What the United Kingdom Has Done

The UK has introduced one of the most comprehensive frameworks through its Age Appropriate Design Code.

This requires platforms to:

• switch off autoplay by default for children

• limit data collection and tracking

• reduce manipulative design features

• prioritise child wellbeing over engagement

This is important.

Because it shifts the responsibility from:

“Parents should manage everything”

to:

“Platforms must design responsibly.”

What Indonesia Is Signalling

Indonesia is now moving in a similar direction.

Discussions and policy signals suggest:

• stricter rules around children accessing social media

• potential age-based restrictions

• increased regulation of platform responsibility

While not fully implemented yet, the trend is clear.

The global conversation is shifting.

A DigitalDeen Reflection

For years, the burden has been placed entirely on parents.

“Monitor your children.”
“Limit their screen time.”

But this ignores the reality:

These platforms are not neutral.

They are designed to:

• capture attention

• remove stopping points

• encourage dependency

So the issue is not just parenting. It is accountability.

What This Means for Us

These regulations are necessary.

But they are not enough on their own.

Even if platforms improve, our responsibility remains.

As Muslims, we are not just protecting children from screens.

We are protecting:

• their focus

• their habits

• their hearts

The Prophet ﷺ taught us to be mindful of what we allow into our lives.

Today, that includes what enters through our screens.

Closing Reflection

Australia has taken action.
The UK has set strong standards.
Indonesia is beginning to respond.

The world is slowly realising something important: Technology is not just a tool.

It is a force that shapes behaviour.

And if we do not take control of it — it will take control of us.

DigitalDeen reminds us: Protection is not just restriction.

It is intentional, balanced, and mindful engagement with technology.

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Keywords: social media laws children, Australia social media restrictions, UK age appropriate design code, protecting children online, social media addiction children, digital safety for kids