There is a rapidly growing global movement to restrict children’s access to social media. Australia became the first country to implement a social media ban for children in December 2025. Most recently, the UK government announced a ban on 15 June and the UAE announced similar restrictions on 18 June. This momentum is driven by increased scrutiny on the addictive and manipulative features deliberately designed by social media platforms to maximise user engagement and the resulting harm associated with compulsive use and addiction, particularly on children.This article argues that such bans are a misguided and incomplete response to the real…