Community News

How to support your child under 16 with the new social media age restrictions

A message from the Department of Education:

From 10 December 2025, the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 will require social media platforms to:

• Prevent children and young people under 16 from having a social media account
• Deactivate or freeze existing accounts held by people under 16.

Delaying access to social media protects the health and wellbeing of young people and gives them extra time to build real-world connections and digital literacy skills.

The responsibility will lie with social media platforms, not parents, carers, children, or schools, to implement these new restrictions.

Most popular social media platforms will be age-restricted. These include Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), Reddit and YouTube. Messaging services, online games, and apps and platforms that support health and education can still be used.

How to help under-16s prepare for the change.

Parents and carers play an important role in helping their children stay safe online.

To help get under-16s ready for the social media minimum age requirements, you can go to the eSafety website to learn more about the social media age restrictions and find tips on how to talk about social media age restrictions with young people.