Everything you need to know about Australia’s social media ban for under 16s
Q&A on December 10 social media ban for under 16s
Which platforms will be age restricted?
Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, Twitch, X and YouTube will be required to take reasonable steps to prevent Australians under 16 from having accounts on their platforms.
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Discord, GitHub, Google Classroom, LEGO Play, Messenger, Pinterest, Roblox, Steam and Steam Chat, WhatsApp, YouTube Kids, Lemon8, Yope and Coverstar.
Won’t under-16s still be able to see social media feeds without accounts?
Under-16s will still be able to see publicly available social media content that doesn’t require being logged into an account.
Will the ban kick in immediately?
Curtin University professor of internet studies Tama Leaver compared the changes to ripping off a Band-Aid “really slowly.”
“It won’t all happen at once. It might be that on December 10 you’re off Instagram, but you’re still on Snapchat … then a few days later you lose Snapchat.” He said for parents and carers, it’s crucial to have conversations with young people about anything they might experience during this transition.
Are there penalties for teens who flout the laws?
No. This is about making the platforms take greater responsibility for the safety of children – they face penalties of up to $49.5 million if they don’t take reasonable steps to implement the changes.
Tips for parents
1. Understand what’s happening and why. Talk about the change with your friends, community and child’s school.
2. Talk to your kids; ask their thoughts, explain why it’s happening, reassure them it’s okay to be upset, confused or worried and reassure them they are not alone.
3. Help them map their digital world. Find out which platforms, people, groups, communities and services are most important to your under-16 and which communities they will lose access to.
4. Encourage them to keep connecting with friends in person, over the phone or age-appropriate messaging apps.
5. Explore safer ways they can belong to communities, and encourage teens to make a note of their favourite influencers, streamers and celebrities (their account names/handles/gamertags) so they can look them up via a web browser.
6. Help them search for alternative apps, websites or games that are age appropriate and related to their interests.
7. Help them save their digital memories.
8. Know where to find support, such as through a trusted adult, or a free confidential helpline like Kids Helpline or Headspace.
Source: eSafety
Originally published on The Nightly
