This article is featured in The Age and is republished with permission.
For 15-year-old Isabella Billing, social media is an essential part of the day.
“I use TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest for entertainment, along with inspiration for dancing and music. I am also on Facebook for work stuff,” she says. “I usually spend anywhere from three to five hours a day on my phone, but this can spike when I don’t have school.”
As well as being a creative outlet and tool for self-expression, these platforms allow Isabella to stay in contact with friends and family who don’t live close by, she says. Isabella lives in the rural Victorian town of Colac and is concerned that social connections will be adversely affected come December 10, when the Australian government’s Online Safety Amendment (which sets a social media minimum age of 16) comes into effect.
“As someone who lives in rural Victoria, staying in touch with family is already challenging enough,” she says. “I am worried that I could stop talking with friends and family altogether, as I might only talk to them every once and a while.”
The new online safety laws mean that any age-restricted media platforms – Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube, Kick and Reddit – will have to take “reasonable steps” to prevent Australians under the age of 16 from creating or keeping an account.
The purpose of the social media age restrictions is to limit exposure to the pressures and risks associated with social media, including the pressure to respond to streams of notifications and alerts, giving children under 16 “breathing space to build digital literacy, critical reasoning, impulse control and greater resilience”, the website for the eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant says.
While Inman Grant positions these new laws as a “delay” to having accounts rather than a “ban”, if you ask most kids who now use the platforms affected, they’d tell you, regardless of the name, it’s a big deal.
Missed opportunities
For 14-year-old Sydney teen Prashasti Jolly, who predominantly uses Instagram to share her music, wellbeing work and youth advocacy, a main concern about the new law is missed opportunities.
“For someone who creates projects that rely on community involvement, social media gives me a space to demonstrate impact, document achievements and access opportunities that are not available through local circles alone,” she says.
“My concern is that students who use social media for constructive purposes like music, leadership, learning, mental health support or community projects may be unintentionally disadvantaged. Global connection is essential today, and removing it could place Australian youth behind students overseas who still have access.”
Associate Professor Lesley-Anne Ey from the University of South Australia believes Prashasti won’t be alone in feeling this way, with many teens using platforms such as YouTube to experiment with their identity, which she says is an important part of their development.
“By scrolling through and reading debates on social media, teenagers develop opinions, principles and understanding about their world and themselves to understand who they are and what they represent,” she says.
“While they can still do this face-to-face or on other apps, the commentary is often a lesser amount.”
Dr Zena Burgess, chief executive of the Australian Psychological Society, says that “removing access to platforms without providing meaningful alternatives risks creating a void in their social lives, a sense of disconnection, and could lead to mental health concerns”.
This could disproportionately affect isolated children, such as those in rural and remote areas like Isabella, or “where families do not have local connections or community, and also neurodivergent children who may have found connections online rather than in local or school communities”, she says.
How to help prepare your kids for the ban
Parents play an important role in helping their children prepare for the ban, both practically and emotionally.
“eSafety is encouraging parents to begin having conversations with their children now about deactivating accounts, and we have comprehensive advice, resources and webinars available through eSafety.gov.au to help,” a spokesperson for the e-safety commissioner says.
Downloading data that may be lost from social media accounts can be a helpful, practical step.
“Sit together and download photos, videos, messages and drafts from each app; some exports take days,” says the founder of Safe on Social, Kirra Pendergast.
“Families that start early, calmly planning the transition, help kids feel in control, protect memories and prevent last-minute panic or risky workarounds.”
Importantly, Pendergast advises teens to taper off their social media use, rather than abruptly stop once the ban comes in, so the impact isn’t as overwhelming.
Burgess says it’s also imperative for parents to help prepare their kids emotionally for this change by speaking to them about the coming changes and supporting them to find alternative forms of connection.
“I encourage parents and caregivers to keep lines of communication open, without judgment or punishment, to promote their children talking to them about misuse of social media platforms,” she says.
Focusing on building in-person connections and participating in new activities, such as sports, socialising with friends, attending local youth clubs, community holiday programs and utilising community spaces like libraries, can also be helpful.
Sticking to the rules: Collaboration, not policing
In theory, once the policy is in place, parents or guardians can’t “override the ban” and permit their child (if under 16) to remain or start a social media account on the affected platforms.
However, when it comes to enforcing the ban, the answer isn’t straightforward, with a spokesperson for eSafety saying, “the onus is on platforms to comply with the Social Media Minimum Age laws, not parents or children. There are no penalties for parents or children.”
There are avenues parents can take, though, if they discover their child’s social account has been missed in the initial deactivation process, including choosing to deactivate it with them or reporting it through the specific platform, for example, Instagram.
Triple P international head of training and clinical psychologist Dr Alan Ralph says that if you find your child has gotten around the ban, “press pause on the outrage”.
“Try to stay calm,” he says. “Listening to your child, while having open and honest conversations in a judgment-free, safe space, will reassure your child that they’re not in trouble and you’re there to support them no matter what.
“It’s important to remember that the new laws aren’t designed to punish young people. They are considered a response to an undeniable accumulation of evidence that social media use at a young age has a negative effect on brain development. These laws are meant to help families remedy this.”
Parents and carers will see positive results if they adopt a collaborative role rather than a policing one, by working together to establish boundaries, reiterating rules for digital activities and reviewing them from time to time.
Checking in with your child
Once the ban is in place, it’s important to check in with your children to see how they are travelling emotionally, says Caroline Thain of Headspace. This creates an opportunity for early intervention if mental health concerns arise.
“Start a gentle, non-judgmental conversation,” she says. “Make sure it’s at a time when you are both comfortable and able to think things through slowly. If a young person shares how they are feeling, it’s helpful to validate their experiences, even if you might feel differently.”
Thain says signs that your teen may be affected include mood changes, irritability, sleep or appetite changes, withdrawal from family or friends, or a loss of interest in usual activities.
In these situations, providing access to support and resources such as Headspace, your GP and mental health services can also be helpful.
Be a role model
“Role modelling isn’t about being perfect – it’s about showing that balance and connection matter,” Thain says. “Young people notice what adults and older siblings do online, so showing healthy habits can make a big difference.”
These habits can include being mindful of your own social media use, prioritising face-to-face time, exploring safe ways to connect as a family, and not sharing photos or content that are on a platform that they are not able to use.
Not all teens will view the ban in the same way
While Isabella says the social media ban will be a challenge, she believes that it may also bring benefits.
“I think the ban will affect how I spend my time greatly,” she says. “I think I might be more productive because I’m not being side-tracked by what’s going on with Instagram or doom-scrolling on TikTok.”
Prashasti, however, isn’t as confident.
“The intention to protect young people is important and understandable,” she says. “Yet a blanket ban could unintentionally silence the small group of teens who use social media to create, lead and contribute positively.
“We must find a balanced approach that safeguards youth while empowering those shaping Australia’s future through meaningful digital engagement.”