One year on from the introduction of Australia’s world-first controversial social media restrictions for children aged under 16, families describe what has changed – and what the law still cannot do. Niki Waldegrave reports.
On the eve before Australia’s under-16 social media age restrictions, 9 December 2025, Human Rights Day, Narrabeen teenager Bella posted a TikTok protesting the ban. It went viral. But when the Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024 took effect the following day, the social media platforms she used to share videos with friends were suddenly out of reach.
“I was worried about losing contact with friends, especially the ones who live overseas,” Bella, 14, tells NL. “We had private accounts and sent relatable videos, and my mum was fine with it. I also listened to ASMR videos every night at bedtime. My routine was wiped out overnight.” The ban left Bella thinking, ‘but what about our rights?’
Her mother, Sally, says the abrupt transition was distressing: “The government went about it the wrong way. Taking social media away from kids the way they did was more anxiety-inducing, like weaning people off any addiction.”
Although Australia’s world-first experiment appears to have shifted some habits and expectations, it has not removed young people from social media platforms who are accused of slow-walking compliance. Critics say the legislation has failed and many North Shore families are asking: what happens next?
“The law has given parents the confidence to tell kids under 16 that they can’t have an account because it’s illegal, but it has not instantly changed how young people connect, spend time or feel about being allowed on social media,” Sally says.
The latest official evaluation, based on a survey following more than 4,000 children and their parents, found that account ownership among 10- to 15-year-olds fell from about 52% before the restrictions to 42% three months later.
The law targets accounts, not all online content, and messaging apps and gaming fall outside, yet over 81% still used at least one age-restricted platform, with or without an account.
The eSafety Commissioner says children under 16 are still on social media because platforms aren’t checking their age and it doubled fines from $49.5 million to $99 million. Yet to date, none have faced one.
Clinical Psychologist Dr Danielle Einstein says tackling screen overuse must be a priority
“Fines mean very little if there is no visible action or accountability,” says Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli, co-host on the Nova 96.9 breakfast show Fitzy, Wippa & Kate.
“You can’t out-parent an algorithm that’s been weaponised to exploit vulnerability – this was intended to be a circuit-breaker, not the solution. Before announcing new powers and tougher penalties, the existing law must be enforced,” Wippa tells NL.
He was instrumental in driving Australia’s world-first legislation through within six months with 36 Months, the social change initiative he co-founded with friend Rob Galluzzo. They even took their 36 Months campaign to the world stage at the United Nations General Assembly.
“We can’t just raise the age and walk away.”
Clinical Psychologist Dr Danielle Einstein
Both have three children, and their movement became one of Australia’s fastest-moving citizen campaigns, backed by a petition signed by 127,000 Australians, including bereaved families, organisations, teachers and bipartisan MPs.
As other countries follow suit and platforms are accused of slow-walking compliance, critics say the legislation has failed, but 36 Months co-founder and FINCH CEO Rob says generational reform can’t be judged after five months.
“It’s clear we still have a compliance problem regarding the social media minimum-age obligation; the platforms are taking the mickey. Some suspect they’re prepared to pay the fines as long as the policy can be portrayed as a failure to other governments considering similar reforms,” Rob says.
Dee Why schoolboy, 13-year-old Ernie told NL he was devastated when he lost his YouTube account, which cost him the subscribers he had built as an aspiring creator.
Rob Galluzzo (far left), Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli (fourth from right) with the 36 Months team at the United Nations General Assembly in New York
He’s since set up a new one, along with TikTok and Instagram, and like most of his peers, is a keen gamer and enjoys playing football and getting out in nature.
He also goes to 1st/2nd Harbord Scouts, where screens are banned and replaced with activities including camps, kayaking, flying foxes and rockclimbing. He estimates his screen use has gone up since the law was introduced, as he now spends hours gaming with friends on his iPad or laptop as they talk on the phones.
“Everyone does it,” he says. “I’m always getting told to do my homework, but we get too much. I’d much rather be gaming or filming YouTube shorts with my friends,” Ernie says.
Dr Danielle Einstein, Adjunct Fellow at Macquarie University, was the first Australian clinical psychologist to call for a ban on phones in schools and her work helped shape the law. Now the Raising Anxiety author says the government must now tackle the root cause.
“Screen overuse, and the failure to recognise addiction and its twin brother, anxiety, is an urgent national mental health issue,” she tells NL. “If we don’t treat this, we’re not treating the real problem. “We can’t just raise the age and walk away.”
Zoltan Levitt, a 6th-degree black belt and Northern District owner of Australia’s Youth Self Defence Karate, says enrolments have risen 40 to 50% this year, many aged 13 to 16.
“It’s systemic, and most of the parents tell me they want their children off social media, but don’t know what to do about it. As the cost of living rises, parents are putting their children in after-school care every day – but if they don’t hold strong…the child essentially becomes responsible for themselves,” he says.
Karate business owner Zoltan Levitt (centre) says enrolments of teens like Ernie (left) and Zac (right) have increased since the social media ban
“We’re trying our best to keep them off phones and devices and to stop cyberbullying and improve socialisation, but I don’t see a lot of enforcement from the parents. This is what we’re trying to combat, and we now also run after-school karate programs in conjunction with OSHC providers to give kids the best activities possible where they need it.”
Dr Einstein says tackling screen overuse must be a priority, along with upskilling frontline workers to be able to assess, diagnose and treat it.
36 Months co-founders Wippa and Rob say the messaging must be reframed, along with more investment in alternatives, from sport to youth employment, volunteering, creative arts and other opportunities for young people to build friendships and confidence offline.
“Language matters, calling it a social media ban is exactly the wrong way to frame it. It isn’t a ban any more than the drinking age is an alcohol ban. We’ve now got an extra 36 months for kids to get to know themselves before the world does. What are we going to do with it? If TikTok and SnapChat were the old playing field, the task before us is to define and build the new playing field – but you don’t build a movement on fear,” Wippa says.
“You can’t solve a generation’s mental health crisis simply by telling kids what they can’t do. You build it on hope and invest in alternatives to get them out of the house into the real world.”