Social Media Restrictions

The Australian Government is protecting young Australians at a critical stage of their development, through world-first social media age restrictions taking effect on 10 December.

There’s evidence between social media use and harms to the mental health and wellbeing of young people. 

While there can be benefits in social media use, the risk of harms may be increased for young people as they do not yet have the skills, experience or understanding to navigate complex social media environments. 

Age-restricted platforms won’t be allowed to let under-16s create or keep an account. That’s because being logged into an account increases the likelihood that they’ll be exposed to pressures and risks that can be hard to deal with. These come from social media platform design features that encourage them to spend more time on screens, while also serving up content that can harm their health and wellbeing.

Further information for families can be found via the link below:

https://www.esafety.gov.au/about-us/industry-regulation/social-media-age-restrictions-hub