Social Media Age Restrictions
New video series: what the Social Media Age Restrictions mean for your family
We know that staying on top of digital changes can be challenging, especially for busy parents and carers. That’s why we’ve created the Social Media Age Restriction Video Series: a short, voice-led resource designed to help you understand what’s changing, why it matters, and how to support your family through it. This four-topic series covers:
· A delay, not a ban: What the changes mean for your child’s access to social media
· Why delay social media accounts? Hear directly from a young person on the benefits of waiting
· How will the age restrictions be implemented? What to expect and how it will work
· Support, resources and tips to prepare: Practical advice to help your family adjust
Whether you're watching at home or listening on the go, this flexible format makes it easy to stay informed and confident in your digital parenting journey. You can even watch it with your child to start the conversation together!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Protecting kids from violent online content
Videos showing extreme violence are no longer rare - they often go viral within minutes.
Violent incidents are filmed, uploaded, and replayed almost instantly, often landing in the social media feeds of young people without warning. Graphic clips can appear through autoplay, recommendations, and reposts, making it hard to avoid.
Our latest Online Safety Advisory explains:
· What ‘gore’ means and how it spreads
· Why it matters for young people
· Practical steps parents, carers, and schools can take to reduce harm
Before exposure happens, here’s what you can do:
✔️ Talk early and often. Keep discussions open and non‑judgemental.
✔️ Set up protections. Use parental controls and platform filters to reduce violent content in feeds.
✔️ Tighten privacy. Limit who can contact your child or share content with them.
✔️ Model healthy habits. Be mindful of what you view, share and say about gore online.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Join our upcoming webinars for parents and carers
You’re invited to join our free live webinars designed to build confidence and skills in supporting safer online experiences for children and young people.
Coming up in November and December:
· Social media age restrictions explained – a guide for parents and carers. From 10 December 2025, certain social media platforms will no longer allow Australian children under 16 to create or keep an account. Join our 30-minute information session to understand what’s changing and how to support your child.
· Algorithms and adolescents: The rewards and risks of recommender systems for young people. Explore the rewards and risks of recommender systems for young people. This 45-minute webinar will help you understand how algorithms shape online experiences, and what you can do to protect your child.
· Supporting healthy tech use as your child transitions into secondary school. This 45-minute webinar explores the social pressures, peer influences, and technological challenges young people face as they transition into secondary school. It also offers practical strategies for navigating online friendships and connections to help minimise negative experiences. It's suitable for parents and carers of children in upper primary school (ages 11 to 12) and Year 7.
· Recognising online coercive control in young people's lives It’s not always easy to spot when a relationship becomes controlling, especially for young people. This 45-minute webinar will explore how tech-based coercive control impacts young people, the red flags to watch for and practical ways to support those experiencing it.
Whether you're new to online safety or looking to deepen your understanding, these webinars offer practical insights and tools to support your family.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
During the global 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence campaign (25 November – 10 December), you can play a vital role in preventing digital abuse.
Register for our webinars or explore our online resources to learn how to spot the signs and support those affected.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
eSafety secures removal of video chat service used for child grooming
Tech giants Apple and Google have removed roulette-style video chat service OmeTV from their app stores after eSafety highlighted serious breaches of Australia’s online safety laws.
The breaches included the app enabling adults to be randomly matched with children, leading to grooming and child sexual exploitation.
In August this year, eSafety issued a formal warning to OmeTV’s parent company for allegedly breaching one of Australia’s codes and standards. We also reminded Apple and Google of their responsibilities under the App Store Code to help protect children.
These codes and standards require online services to tackle the most harmful content on their services, including child sexual exploitation and abuse. Law enforcement has long warned that chat-roulette style apps can be used by offenders to target and groom children.
This is a great example of eSafety working proactively with tech platforms to keep children safer online.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
eSafety requires providers of AI companion chatbots to explain how they are keeping Aussie kids safe
eSafety has issued legal notices to four AI companion providers. The providers must explain how they’re protecting children from exposure to a range of harms, including sexually explicit conversations and images as well as suicidal ideation and self-harm.
The notices were given to Character Technologies, Inc. (Character ai), Glimpse AI (Nomi), Chai Research Corp (Chai), and Chub AI Inc. (Chub ai).
These AI companions, powered by generative AI, simulate personal relationships through human-like conversations and are often marketed for friendship, emotional support, or even romantic companionship.
The notices require the companies to show how they’re complying with Australia’s Basic Online Safety Expectations. They must report on the steps they’re taking to keep Australians safe online, especially children.
We recently registered new industry codes designed to protect children from exposure to a range of age-inappropriate content. These new codes will also apply to the growing number of AI chatbots.
https://kidshelpline.com.au/teens/issues/under-16-social-media-ban-coping
https://kidshelpline.com.au/teens/issues/under-16-social-media-ban-about
https://parentline.com.au/issues/social-media-ban-parents-guide