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Social Media Age Restrictions and Your Family

From 10 December 2025, many social media platforms won’t be allowed to let Australians under 16 create or keep an account. The information found below comes from directly from the e-safety commissioner (Social media age restrictions and your family| eSafety Commissioner) and will help you understand why, and how you can help your under-16 through the change.

 

Why the changes?

The changes aim to protect under-16s from pressures and risks they can be exposed to while logged in to social media accounts. These come from design features in the platforms that:

  • encourage them to spend too much time on screens – for example, by prompting them with streams of notifications and alerts, and pressuring them to view disappearing content
  • increase the likelihood of exposure to negative, upsetting or manipulative content served up in their feeds by algorithms.

 

These features have been linked to harms to health and wellbeing – including increased stress levels, and reduced sleep and concentration. Of course, they are not the only risks on social media. Young people can also be exposed to harmful conduct such as cyberbullying, being asked for nudes and being sent pornography or violent material. 

The age restrictions are a delay, not a ban. You won’t have to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to social media accounts, instead you can say ‘not yet’, knowing other under-16s are also being prevented from creating or keeping accounts so your child won’t be missing out.  

The delay gives you extra time to talk about online safety and wellbeing with your child, to help them prepare for the risks and pressures of social media when they turn 16. It’s breathing space for them to build digital, social and emotional skills, and to understand the importance of reaching out for help if things go wrong.

 

Quick facts

  • The age restrictions are likely to apply to Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X and YouTube, as well as other platforms. See the latest list.
  • Under-16s will still be able to see publicly available social media content that doesn’t require logging into an account.
  • Most standalone gaming and messaging apps, as well as many services that support health and education, will not be affected by the new law.
  • There are no penalties for under-16s who access an account on an age-restricted social media platform, or for their parents or carers. This is about making the platforms take greater responsibility for the safety of children – they face fines of up to $49.5 million dollars if they don’t take reasonable steps to implement the changes.

 

For some the hardest part will be speaking with their teen about the changes. I’ve included a conversation starter quick guide to help you. 

Parents-and-carers-conversation-starters-guide-SMAR.pdf

 

Also, below is a range of resources that are worth checking out to get you up to speed:

 

Geoff McLean

College Counsellor