Meta is moving early and texting Australian teenagers. That part is real.

By Kirra Pendergast

To every parent, teacher and trusted adult — talk to your teens today.

Not with fear, but with clarity. Meta is texting Australian teenagers. That part is real. They’ve begun sending messages via SMS, email and in-app notifications, warning young users they have just days left on Instagram, Facebook and Threads if they’re under 16. The law banning under-16s from these platforms officially starts on December 10, but Meta is moving early — accounts will begin disappearing from December 4. This is a big, complex shift. But it’s also the perfect opportunity for scammers. They know teens are confused. They know panic makes people click. I am fearful they may start sending fake messages that look exactly like Meta’s — urging young people to "download your data here", or "verify your age now" through links that aren’t safe. So here’s what we need to tell our kids today — not with alarm bells, but with calm, informed authority: Never click through from a text claiming to be from an app. Not now. Not ever. If a young person receives a message about the ban, tell them to go straight to the Instagram or Facebook app, or visit meta.com directly through a browser. That’s the only place they should be downloading data or verifying age. Not through a random SMS or email link, no matter how real it looks. If a teen is wrongly flagged as under 16, Meta will ask them to verify their age using ID or a video selfie. That process is done securely within the app, and not through a shortcut or suspicious link. The technology behind it, Yoti, is trusted but only when accessed through the official platform you can see the results of the Age Assurance

Trial here: https://ageassurance.com.au/report/ The key here is timing. Right now, we have a narrow window before confusion peaks and scams escalate. This is the moment to step in gently, confidently, and have the conversation. Reassure your teen that they haven’t done anything wrong. Remind them that real warnings from Meta are coming via text but it is never safe to click through from an SMS EVER! There’s no need for panic. But there is a need for precision. If we wait, the risk grows. If we act now — clearly, calmly, together — we protect not just their accounts, but their confidence and safety online. Talk to them today. Even if they roll their eyes. Even if they say they already know. Just open the door because digital scams don’t care how old you are. But being prepared? That starts with us. Download Instagram Memories here: https://help.instagram.com/181231772500920/?helpref=uf_share Other Useful Links: https://www.facebook.com/help/2199535317224012/?helpref=uf_share Our Free Resources: https://www.safeonsocial.com/shop eSafety Social Media Minimum Age Hub: https://www.esafety.gov.au/about-us/industry-regulation/social-media-age-restrictions-hub.

How to Support Your Child’s Digital Wellbeing

You’ve probably asked it. “How much screen time is too much?” But here’s the better question: “What’s happening to my child on those screens - and how is it affecting their emotional, social, and physical health?”

Digital wellbeing isn’t about counting minutes. It’s about noticing meaning. And in a world where learning, social life, entertainment, and identity are all mediated by screens, it’s time to go deeper.

What Is Digital Wellbeing?

Digital wellbeing is not about removing devices. It’s about helping your child have a healthy, self-aware relationship with them.

That includes:

Emotional wellbeing: How digital content affects mood, self-worth, and anxiety.
Social wellbeing: Whether online interaction builds or erodes real connection.
Physical wellbeing: The impact of tech use on sleep, eyesight, posture, and movement.

In short: Is tech helping your child grow - or hollowing them out?

What to Watch for - Beyond “Addiction”

Forget the outdated panic about tech “addiction.” The more important signals are subtler:

Does your child withdraw from face-to-face interactions? Do they seem exhausted, irritable, or anxious after time online?
Have you noticed a loss of joy in offline activities they once loved? Are they staying up late with devices, but hiding it?

These aren’t failures of discipline. They’re red flags of digital distress. And they can be addressed - not with punishment, but with presence.

What Digital Wellbeing Looks Like at Home

You don’t need to overhaul your life. Start small:

Daily check-ins: Ask, “What’s one thing online that made you feel good today? What’s one thing that didn’t?”
Tech transparency: Make space for open conversations about what they’re watching, following, or worrying about online.
Offline joy: Help your child reconnect with non-digital pleasure - creativity, movement, play, time in nature.
Co-created boundaries: Instead of rules imposed from above, build shared agreements. “Let’s make a plan for how we wind down before sleep - without screens. ” The goal isn’t restriction. It’s rhythm. What to

This Is Not About Tech Fear. It’s About Tech Fluency.

Technology isn’t going anywhere. But how we shape our children’s relationship with it is still in our control.

Digital wellbeing means your child knows:

How to recognise when the scroll is making them anxious. How to take a break without fear of missing out.
How to use tech for connection - not comparison.
How to set boundaries with confidence, not guilt.

That starts with you modelling the same.

Because the strongest digital filter is not the app. It’s the self.

Visual Arts