Australia’s Social Media Ban for Under 16s - What Parents Need to Know
The Age of Social Media for Children Is Ending—Here’s What You Should Know
The Australian Government has raised the minimum age for social media use to 16. This new law will prohibit children under 16 from accessing platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat. The Government hasn't decided when the ban will take place yet, although, we know it won't be before December 2025. For parents and young people, this will be a big challenge that we all need to navigate together.
Why introduce this ban?
Research highlighting the risks that social media and significant phone use poses to young people (including exposure to cyberbullying, harmful content, and the mental and physical health impacts of excessive screen time) has been made popular by Jonathan Haidt's book, 'The Anxious Generation'.
But if we are being honest with ourselves, we didn't need a book to tell us that smart phones aren't good for kids. We can all see how our reliance on our phones has changed our lives - we are less present, more reactive and more addicted to these little screens than ever.
By delaying access to social media, the Government hopes to reduce these risks and encourage healthier online habits among young Australians.
What platforms are included?
The ban will apply to platforms where the primary purpose is social interaction. These include popular apps including Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, X (formerly Twitter), and LinkedIn.
Potential exceptions may be made for:
Messaging platforms (e.g., WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger)
Online gaming services
Platforms designed for health or educational purposes
Although, these exceptions haven't been confirmed yet.
YouTube will remain accessible - children under 16 will be able to watch videos, but they won't be able to make an account (meaning they won't be able to comment on or like other videos, or share their own creations).
How will the ban be enforced?
The short answer - we don't know yet.
What we do know is that it will be up to the social media platforms (not parents or schools) to enforce the ban.
It will be up to each individual platform to decide how age will be verified on their app. That means that how age is verified on Instagram might be different from TikTok, which is also different to Snapchat.
Social media platforms will be required to implement robust age-verification measures, potentially involving official identification or facial recognition technology. Strict privacy policies will need to be in place for platforms to be allowed to use official IDs or facial recognition software.
Social media platforms must take reasonable steps to ensure they are enforcing the ban otherwise the platforms can face significant penalties of up to $49.5 million. There is no penalty for children or parents of children who access social media despite the ban.
Can parents provide consent?
No. This legislation applies to all children under 16, regardless of parental consent. Even children who currently hold social media accounts will lose access once the ban is in place.
How to prepare for the change
The ban isn't going to come into effect until, at the earliest, December 2025. That means that we have 2025 to prepare our children to navigate what is going to be a massive change.
I encourage parents to support their kids to transition to life offline by helping them explore activities that don't require a phone, rediscover their hobbies, and hang out with people face-to-face.
This is also a great opportunity to foster open conversations about the role of technology in your families.
If you're finding this big change challenging, there are heaps of resources and strategies which you can use to manage the transition. One tip is to give all phones in the house a bedtime (ideally an hour before you go to sleep). Once it hits your phone's bedtime, the phone is switched off and put on charge in another room. No touching until morning!
For more tips about how to navigate the change, visit www.parismcneil.com for more information and resources.
What do you think?
I'd love to know - what do you think of the new social media ban? Is it a smart move or too extreme? Share your thoughts below!
