Australian mum of late teen says social media ban 'bittersweet'

Mia Bannister, mother of the late 14-year-old Ollie Hughes, showing a tattoo dedicated to her son during an interview in Sydney. From Dec 10, 2025, under-16s in Australia will be banned from social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, Reddit and TikTok. Were that legislation in place a year ago, Mia said, Ollie might still be alive. — AFP

SYDNEY: Mia Bannister said she would give anything to have her son Ollie beside her as Australia rolled out a landmark social media ban for under-16s on Dec 10.

Her 14-year-old took his life last year after being bullied online and seeing an endless stream of content on apps such as TikTok, Instagram and YouTube that fuelled an eating disorder.