Australia’s Social Media Ban: A Global Precedent for Child Protection?
The Australian government’s recent move to implement a social media ban for children under 16 has garnered international attention, with some prominent figures in the entertainment industry hoping the nation’s proactive stance will inspire similar legislation worldwide. Jack Thorne, the acclaimed writer behind the hit series Adolescence, has lauded Australia’s initiative, calling it “amazing” and a potential catalyst for global change.
Adolescence writer Jack Thorne hopes the UK will follow Australia in introducing a social media ban for children under 16.
“I think it’s amazing that Australia is ahead of the world in terms of the social media ban,” Thorne says.
“It’s hopefully going to spread like wildfire through the world, because I think it’s an incredibly important thing.”
Adolescence, a gripping drama exploring the complexities of teenage boyhood through the story of 13-year-old Jamie’s arrest for the murder of his classmate Katie, resonated deeply with audiences globally. The series, which secured multiple Golden Globes and Emmys and was lauded as one of the best TV shows of 2025, ignited vital discussions about toxic masculinity, the challenges of growing up male, and the pervasive influence of social media in disseminating harmful ideologies.
Thorne, who earned an Emmy for his writing on Adolescence, has long been a vocal advocate for measures to mitigate the negative impacts of social media on young people. He believes a ban, similar to Australia’s where social media companies face substantial fines of up to $49.5 million, is crucial for addressing the issues highlighted in his work. Last year, Thorne penned an opinion piece urging the UK to adopt a “digital age of consent,” restricting social media access for those under 16.
“Spend any time on most social media platforms and you end up, quite quickly, in some dark spaces,” he wrote. “Parents can try to regulate this, schools can stop mobile phone access but more needs to be done.”
While Australia’s eSafety commissioner reports that approximately 4.7 million social media accounts belonging to individuals under 16 have been deactivated or removed since the ban’s introduction in December, questions about its ultimate effectiveness persist. Many, including young people themselves, have voiced concerns regarding the ban’s practical implementation and long-term impact.
A New Adaptation: Lord of the Flies and the Contemporary Crisis of Masculinity
The ongoing conversation surrounding social media, childhood development, and evolving notions of masculinity, amplified by Adolescence, continues with Thorne’s latest project: a new television adaptation of William Golding’s seminal 1954 novel, Lord of the Flies. This adaptation delves into another harrowing narrative at the nexus of vulnerability, violence, and the multifaceted nature of masculinity.
“In Adolescence, we were looking at the context in which teenage boys currently live,” Thorne explained to ABC Arts. “At the moment, teenagers are navigating a world where hate has been given an outlet in all sorts of different places: in government, in social media spaces and everywhere else.”
Thorne draws parallels between the current societal climate and the “climate of populism and hate” that influenced Golding’s writing in the 1950s, a period marked by the aftermath of World War II and the nascent stages of the Cold War. Golding, a former naval officer, was deeply affected by the prevailing atmosphere of division and fear.
“He was terrified by it,” Thorne remarked. “Obviously, we are not living in as extreme a moment as that. But it does feel like we are living at a time when opposition to others is more attractive than agreement.”
The genesis of Adolescence, Thorne revealed, stemmed from discussions with actor Stephen Graham about the prevailing social climate and a disturbing rise in knife crimes committed by teenage boys against girls in the UK. Their writing process began with introspective conversations about masculinity and their own youthful experiences.
“We talked about our rage, our cruelty, and moments when we weren’t the people we wanted to be,” Thorne shared. This exploration proved particularly insightful, given the significant differences between Thorne and Graham, even in their physical appearances. “If someone was asked to draw a man, I think they would draw some version of Stephen,” Thorne quipped. “They wouldn’t draw me.” Despite these differences, they discovered common ground in their shared experiences, particularly regarding feelings of shame. “It wasn’t healthy for us and certainly wasn’t healthy for the people around us.” These complex emotions of cruelty and shame became foundational elements for both Adolescence and now, Lord of the Flies.
Reimagining a Classic for a Modern Audience
Golding’s Lord of the Flies famously chronicles the descent of a group of British schoolboys stranded on a deserted island after a plane crash. Initially striving for order under the leadership of the sensible Ralph, their society rapidly fragments into warring factions, succumbing to primal urges and escalating violence. While the novel has seen numerous film and stage adaptations, Thorne’s rendition marks its first foray into television.
The 47-year-old writer has harboured a desire to adapt the novel for television for nearly two decades, having first proposed the idea to a British broadcaster in his early thirties. Thorne’s personal connection to the book dates back to his childhood. He first encountered Lord of the Flies at the age of nine and found a profound kinship with Simon, the introspective and nature-loving character who often stands apart from the group’s escalating conflicts.
“I was quite an emotional kid, but quite a privately emotional kid,” Thorne recalled. “I found huge understanding in the book for the kid I was then, which is sort of an outsider.”
Like many young readers, Thorne recognised elements of schoolyard bullies in the character of Jack, whose charisma and arrogance incite the other boys towards savagery and primal instincts. However, revisiting the novel as an adult, Thorne developed a deeper empathy for Jack, a shift he attributes to Golding’s nuanced portrayal.
“[The book is] full of a lot of care for all of the boys,” Thorne observed. “People see this book as being about opposition and hate and, actually, it’s a lot more complicated than that and a lot more beautiful than that.”
Thorne’s television adaptation aims to foster this same sense of empathy in viewers by dedicating individual episodes to specific characters, beginning with Piggy (played by David McKenna). Piggy, the intelligent but physically vulnerable and anxious boy, attempts to establish order but becomes an early target of the group’s cruelty. Subsequent episodes explore Jack’s (Lox Pratt) burgeoning obsession with hunting and his challenge to Ralph’s authority, Simon’s (Ike Talbut) spiritual journey, and finally, Ralph’s (Winston Sawyers) struggle to maintain control as the island devolves into chaos.
“Faces are the way we tell stories in our medium,” Thorne explained, emphasizing the importance of capturing the internal world of each character. “Just spending that much time on Lox’s face, on Jack’s face, you do get brought into his view of the world, and you do, I hope, care for him in the way that Golding cares for him.”
A Distinctive Voice in British Storytelling
Thorne has built a reputation for crafting television dramas that tackle significant social issues within the UK. His previous works include:
- The Hack (released last year): Starring David Tennant, this series investigates the News of the World phone hacking scandal.
- Toxic Town (released on Netflix last year): Featuring Jodie Whittaker, the drama is based on the Corby toxic waste case of the early 2000s, focusing on a mother fighting for justice for her child’s birth defects.
Thorne admitted that he felt a personal connection to Toxic Town, noting, “My dad is Sam Hagen,” the council worker who provided crucial information to the legal team. He is drawn to projects where he can find a personal resonance, stating, “I knew people like Susan. I felt like there was enough there for me to grapple with.”
In 2021, Thorne and Graham collaborated on the acclaimed television film Help, a poignant depiction of a care home worker’s experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, starring Jodie Comer. Despite winning an International Emmy in 2022, Thorne encountered challenges in securing international distribution for Help. He was reportedly told that “The accent’s too strong, it’s about British issues that don’t travel, and it’s about British governmental institutions that aren’t interesting to the rest of the world.”
However, Thorne has found that global streaming platforms like Netflix have embraced the distinctiveness of his storytelling. He observed, “What Netflix have done — not just with Adolescence, but with Baby Reindeer, Squid Game, Narcos — is realise that when you tell a story with detail and with precision, then people can get it wherever they are in the world.”
Lord of the Flies is currently available for streaming on Stan.
