10 December 2025
Digital Rights Watch’s essential guide to the under-16 social media ban.
Today the Albanese social media ban comes into effect: allowing the rotten influence of big social media corporations on society to continue unabated rather than actually curbing them with broader social media reform.
We’ve worked to highlight the harms this ban will inflict;
- on vulnerable young people, often in regional areas, who will lose their community;
- on all social media users, by normalising handing over ID documents to view parts of the internet,
- and on all of us, with the privacy problems and inaccuracy of age-assurance technology - which will be further expanded with age checks for internet search starting on December 27th.
Today, we share our essential guide which shows how we can help kids mitigate the harms of the social media ban, as well as other information about the ban and the technology used to enforce it.
This ban does not address the root causes of the harms posed by social media. Instead, it is a harmful distraction that delays the need for meaningful, systemic regulation.
Quotes attributable to Tom Sulston, Head of Policy:
“Look out for young people now the ban is live. Some will need help as the social media ban cuts them off from their support networks. Large numbers of young people use social media for mental health support and that support has been ripped away from them today.”
“Under 16s on social media need to know that they won’t get in trouble with the authorities. No-one using a platform will be fined or in breach of any law.”
Media contact for interview:
media@digitalrightswatch.org.au
Tom Sulston: +61 448335466