Australia's under-16 social media ban has reverberated around the world. The US hasn’t passed federal law aimed at digital child safety since 1998.

Australia's blanket age ban has its imperfections, but forcing conversations to safeguard the next generation may be better than doing nothing, says Catherine Thorbecke for Bloomberg Opinion.

SYDNEY, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Australia approved on Thursday a social media ban for children aged under 16 after an emotive debate that has gripped the nation, setting a benchmark for jurisdictions around the world with one of the toughest regulations targeting Big Tech.