The more governments try to restrict social media use, the more young people will find ways to get around it

‘Simply saying “don’t do this” has never worked for any generation of teenagers, and it doesn’t work for keeping them offline in this day and age,’ writes Leo Puglisi, chief anchor and managing director at 6 News Australia. Photograph: Maskot/Getty Images

It’s not entirely surprising the Australian government is now including YouTube accounts in its under-16s social media ban – but the decision to stop a 15-year-old from subscribing to their favourite channels only adds to an endless list of problems with the policy.

This ban already had a number of broad issues, including the possibility of every Australian being required to hand over personal identification in order to use social media websites. We’ve already seen the UK’s Online Safety Act making global headlines over the past week, where it is proving to be a nightmare for enforcement.