Rebecca Raeside, Melody Taba
Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, recently addressed the National Press Club outlining how their office will be implementing the Social Media Minimum Age Bill when it now comes into effect this December (delayed from October).
The legislation prevents under 16-year-olds from having social media accounts, placing the onus on social media companies to use first-of-its-kind age assurance technology. This would apply to platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and potentially YouTube, even though YouTube was previously flagged as a possible exemption.
The Commissioner used an analogy, comparing the legislation to Australia’s effective public health campaigns in water safety. She highlighted the need for “a mixture of regulation, education and community participation that reduces risks and supports parents keeping their children happily and safely frolicking in the sea.”
We agree social media platforms need regulating to keep young people safe in the digital world, and that regulation should be managed by the platforms themselves.
But ‘delaying’ access to social media through age-restriction regulation alone without bolstering education and community participation risks young people not acquiring lifelong skills. It’s akin to letting a 16-year-old jump in the murky water with no water skills and no lifeguards on duty. They are left alone to deal with what lies beneath. The consequences of this may be much greater.
Social media is not going anywhere; in fact, it will become increasingly more complicated to navigate over time. Urgent action must be taken to ensure that the “mixture” of all elements is in place to adequately protect young people and equally empower them to have agency.
Young people in the digital world
In Australia, over 90% of adolescents aged 14-17 years old have a smartphone, and most have grown up in a world where their physical world and digital world are linked. Digital technologies provide young people opportunities for personal development, education, social interaction and connection, entertainment, and a platform for health promotion and health services.
Although the social media ban has sparked a strong public narrative, there remains a lack of causal evidence linking social media use to health and wellbeing risks among young people. Current evidence demonstrates that social media use among this population offers both risks and benefits.
Is a social media ‘delay’ the answer?
Age-restriction legislation to keep under 16s off social media platforms is just one of many possible avenues of regulation. The commissioner highlights that “safety by design” is not the norm on these platforms, as have other experts.
One of seven key principles of the National Preventive Health Strategy 2021-2030 encourages “embracing the digital revolution”. This begs the question whether a more coordinated approach to regulation is needed – one that incorporates governments, young people and tech companies in the conversation.
Other examples of possible regulation include mandating safer algorithms for young users, stronger regulation of misinformation and disinformation and transparency on content moderation and data collection. This type of regulation can even be enacted quickly when there is sufficient public and expert pressure.
A clear example of this was during the COVID-19 pandemic, when platforms like Facebook and TikTok introduced informational labels on all posts about COVID-19 and vaccines. These labels, added in response to mounting concern from health experts, directed users to reliable sources like the World Health Organization. It showed platforms can act rapidly to mitigate harm when compelled.
What about education?
The Commissioner described digital and algorithmic literacy education as “the closest thing we have to online swimming lessons”. While the eSafety Office has online resources, it remains unclear how these will be promoted to young people or integrated alongside the ban.
Digital literacy and critical thinking are essential in empowering young people to navigate the online world safely and confidently. These skills offer lifelong value which will be needed from age 16 under the ban anyway. They will ensure young people are protected as platforms rapidly evolve and fill gaps where regulation falls short (i.e. unrestricted content access without login).
To be effective, education initiatives should be co-designed with young people and delivered through a multipronged approach using varied formats and touchpoints to engage diverse audiences where they are. This includes meaningful involvement from schools, parents, carers, and peer networks to reinforce skills across all parts of a young person’s environment.
And what about involving young people?
The National Action Plan for the Health of Children and Young People encourages strengths-based approaches as a key guiding principle and keeping children and young people at the centre to ensure that Australian young people are healthy, safe, and thriving. The recently published Second Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing also highlights that the meaningful engagement of young people is central to effective action in policy, interventions and research which affects them.
The eSafety Office has a Youth Council comprising 17 young people aged 13-24 years. It provides an avenue to engage in meaningful discussion and share lived experiences.
In July 2024, members wrote a submission specifically on social media and Australian society to a parliamentary committee. They wrote “Age verification could be an effective tool to offer more age-appropriate online experiences …however, it should not be the Government’s main priority.”
While evidence so far has shown little transparency about how regulators have engaged with young people, lately the eSafety office has held consultations with them to shape policy implementation.
Reports from broader groups of young people suggest that they view the legislation as a temporary solution. They have also provided examples of ‘real reform’: including education for parents and young people, investment in programs that provide safe online spaces, and further regulation of existing platforms.
Members of eSafety’s own youth council stated in a February 2025 article “too often, online safety is perceived as a restriction: limiting what we can do, see, or share. But real safety is about creating conditions where freedom, trust, and wellbeing can thrive.”
While age assurance technology is one potential protective measure, it cannot be the government’s sole action. Instead, broader, sustained efforts of regulation, education and community participation are needed to empower young people to be safe online.
Dr Rebecca Raeside is a Research Fellow at the Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Medicine and Health and Charles Perkins Centre at The University of Sydney
Dr Melody Taba is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Sydney Health Literacy Lab, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney
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