Social Media Ban

Social Media

Upcoming Social Media Age Restrictions – What Families Need to Know

From 10 December 2025, new laws will require many social media platforms to prevent Australians under 16 from creating or maintaining accounts on certain age-restricted services. These changes, led by the eSafety Commissioner, aim to better protect children from the pressures and potential risks they can face while using social media.

What does this mean for students and families?

· There will be no penalties for young people, parents or carers – the responsibility lies with the platforms to restrict under-16 accounts.

· Children will still be able to view publicly available content that doesn’t require logging into an account.

· Schools are not responsible for monitoring or reporting students under 16 who have social media accounts.

· The way schools communicate with students will not change, as staff already follow departmental guidelines that prevent communication with students via public social media platforms.

If a student experiences harmful online behaviour, such as cyberbullying, they should report it directly to the platform. If the issue isn’t resolved, it can be escalated to eSafety’s reporting page for support and investigation. To assist families and educators, the eSafety Commissioner has developed a range of helpful resources and webinars.

Helpful Links

· 🌐 eSafety’s Social Media Age Restrictions Hub

· 📘 Educators’ Resources and Tools

· 🎓 eSafety Schools Hub

· 💬 Report Online Harm Upcoming Webinars for Parents and Carers

· Friday 14 November, 1:00 pm

· Wednesday 19 November, 7:00 pm

· Thursday 20 November, 12:30 pm

· Tuesday 2 December, 7:00 pm

· Monday 8 December, 3:30 pm

· Monday 15 December, 1:00 pm We encourage all families to take advantage of these (free webinars)  https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/webinars and explore the eSafety website https://www.esafety.gov.au/  for practical advice on supporting children’s wellbeing online.