![\"eSafety](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1765035238_270_1678.jpg\")
eSafety commissioner questioned on Roblox and social media ban after Guardian investigation \u2013 video<\/p>\nAustralia\u2019s world-first social media ban for under-16s will begin in just a few days. Malaysia, Denmark and Norway are to follow suit and the European Union last week passed a resolution to adopt similar restrictions. As the world watches on, millions of Australian adolescents and their parents are wondering just what will actually change come 10 December.<\/p>\n
Concerns around the negative impact social media use can have on the wellbeing of young people have been around since the quaint days of Myspace \u2013 long before those to be affected by the ban were even born.<\/p>\n
Supporters of the social media \u201cdelay\u201d policy believe that restricting under-16s access will reduce mental health risks, exposure to harmful content and the social malaise associated with being chronically online. Those opposed worry that the legislation is ill-conceived, will push children into murkier corners of the web, impinge on their human rights, exacerbate some mental health conditions or simply prove futile.<\/p>\n
As the world waits to see just how this grand experiment will play out, the Guardian spoke to teenagers about their feelings as the ban approaches. All five are on the youth advisory board of the Australian Theatre for Young People, which will next month host a production of The Censor, which canvasses issues of teen social media use, literacy and adult censorship of their lives.<\/p>\n
From indifference to frustration or simply being confounded by the choices being made by the adults in the room, the perennial teen question remains: \u201cWhat\u2019s the big deal?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018It feels deeply unfair the government is punishing an entire age group \u2019Sarai Ades says \u2018removing social media removes a major avenue for self-discovery and belonging\u2019. Photograph: Joel Pratley\/The GuardianSarai Ades, 14<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve been using Snapchat, Facebook Messenger as well as Instagram and TikTok since I got a phone in 2023.<\/p>\n
I find the \u201cdelay\u201d very frustrating because it targets young people instead of addressing the issues at the root of online harms; things like algorithmic amplification of bigotry, the spread of misinformation and the lack of accountability for the companies and creators who profit from harmful or discriminatory content.<\/p>\n
Teens are not the primary drivers of harmful content. Much of it comes from high-influence adult creators, political commentators and extremist groups, and it feels deeply unfair that the government is punishing an entire age group by removing access rather than regulating platforms.<\/p>\n
I think media literacy is very important, especially for our generation. We need to be taught the right methods to deal with the online world in ways that don\u2019t become harmful \u2013 and that includes the bigotry that is often disguised as \u201copinions\u201d on social media. Eliminating [access] without doing anything about building our media literacy is the equivalent of the government banning books until we are 16 and expecting us to magically start reading critically.<\/p>\n
Right now, media literacy doesn\u2019t figure highly in our syllabus, but it should. It\u2019s taught in a very boring way and it isn\u2019t up to date; we might learn about cyberbullying but not echo chambers, for example. And with the rise of AI, there is a whole new world to understand that could harm us, but we aren\u2019t taught anything about that. I think the government could definitely be focusing its efforts there and on specific aspects of social media, rather than just establishing a whole ban.<\/p>\n
eSafety commissioner questioned on Roblox and social media ban after Guardian investigation \u2013 video<\/p>\n
Having less exposure to this kind of harmful content might be good for our mental health in some ways, but I think the negatives outweigh the positives.<\/p>\n
I grew up on another continent and social media is a primary way that I feel connected with these childhood friends. Australia promotes itself as a multicultural, globally connected country, but this ban will cut teens off from their cultural communities and international friendships. And for multicultural teens that loss is significant, especially living in an Anglo-dominant country like Australia.<\/p>\n
My generation uses social media as a tool for identity formation; we explore other cultures, our creative expression, neurodivergence, gender identity, political beliefs. Removing social media removes a major avenue for self-discovery and belonging.<\/p>\n
My daily screen time average on socials is about two hours, shared between Pinterest, Instagram and TikTok equally. Developing a healthy relationship with your screen time has become quite trendy. Me and most of my friends already use apps that help us manage our time online, we all use \u201cdo not disturb\u201d and only check our phones when we have time.<\/p>\n
Whatever time I do gain will be used to invest in my goals, but the irony is that I probably wouldn\u2019t have half those goals without social media. The ban doesn\u2019t just take away an app, it takes away inspiration and opportunities. For kids like myself in the performing arts, taking away our ability to share our skills online also limits our exposure and could put us behind on the world stage.<\/p>\n
Even if they aren\u2019t trying to develop a presence though, the ban will drive teens to less savoury corners of the internet \u2013 shady apps, private browsers or unsafe websites, instead of regulated platforms. Cutting off access to socials won\u2019t eliminate the need for online connection, it will just drive it underground.<\/p>\n
\u2018I don\u2019t think I\u2019ll be affected that much\u2019Pia Monti says she has had \u2018a really positive experience on the social media I use, so I don\u2019t see why it should be banned for everyone\u2019. Photograph: Joel Pratley\/The GuardianPia Monte, 13<\/p>\n
I only have accounts on WhatsApp and Pinterest so I won\u2019t be directly affected by the social media ban, but I still don\u2019t like it. I know people whose main support networks are on social media, so if that\u2019s being taken away they will be left with nothing. I\u2019ve had a really positive experience on the social media I use, so I don\u2019t see why it should be banned for everyone.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t keep my phone in my room overnight, I just check it quickly in the morning for notifications, but I don\u2019t really use it before school. I use it mostly to take a break from study, my daily screentime average this week was 49 minutes.<\/p>\n
I mostly use social media to look at cooking videos on YouTube or Pinterest; I can still use YouTube for that without an account and Pinterest isn\u2019t being banned. Neither is WhatsApp and that\u2019s what I use mostly to keep up with friends \u2013 I don\u2019t know that many people my age who spend lots of time on the apps that are being banned anyway \u2013 so I don\u2019t think I\u2019ll be affected that much. I might get accounts for things like Instagram when I\u2019m older, but there\u2019s no rush.<\/p>\n
skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n Sign up to Five Great Reads<\/p>\n Each week our editors select five of the most interesting, entertaining and thoughtful reads published by Guardian Australia and our international colleagues. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Saturday morning<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com<\/a> to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n \u2018I don\u2019t think two years is a long time to wait to use it again\u2019Grace Guo says she is \u2018quite indifferent to the ban\u2019. She says \u2018it won\u2019t affect me that much because I mostly use messages and WhatsApp to chat with friends\u2019. Photograph: Joel Pratley\/The GuardianGrace Guo, 14<\/p>\n I\u2019m quite indifferent to the ban, it won\u2019t affect me that much because I mostly use messages and WhatsApp to chat with friends. I do post on YouTube sometimes, but I won\u2019t care if I can\u2019t. Sometimes the comments aren\u2019t very nice so I won\u2019t miss those. And anyway, you can still access the content without an account. When I\u2019m using YouTube to research new skills or school work, sometimes irrelevant or inappropriate things come up, but that doesn\u2019t change if you have an account or not.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve only been using Instagram since the start of this year, it\u2019s just another way to communicate with friends and I don\u2019t think two years is a long time to wait to use it again. It\u2019s not a big deal to me, I\u2019ll just use other messaging apps more.<\/p>\n I only looked at my phone to check the time this morning. I first checked it for messages after school on my way home on the train. My screen time average is about an hour or two a day; most of that is chatting with friends across all the apps. I feel like our generation is quite dependent on it and I have friends who use their phones lots more than me.<\/p>\n Overall, for kids my age, I think things will be pretty much the same \u2013 they will get around it if they want, use the banned apps without accounts or just wait. Maybe for younger kids the ban will delay some harmful experiences. But also it might be a lot to deal with at 16 if you haven\u2019t been exposed before.<\/p>\n \u2018At the moment I only use YouTube and Discord\u2019: Ewan Buchanan-Constable. Photograph: Joel Pratley\/The GuardianEwan Buchanan-Constable, 15<\/p>\n I\u2019m a bit disappointed with the ban because I was introduced to a lot of my current creative interests through YouTube. At the moment I only use YouTube and Discord. I have a couple of videos up, but it\u2019s not a regular thing. I use Discord to talk to friends and to engage with communities, mostly about movies and video games. Most of my friends use the apps that are being banned but I don\u2019t feel excluded because the content that\u2019s on there doesn\u2019t really interest me.<\/p>\n I use my phone as an alarm but I don\u2019t start using it in bed. Once I\u2019ve eaten and showered I might put something on YouTube in the background while I get ready, but it\u2019s not my main focus. My daily average is about two hours a day. On the weekends though, my screen time goes up to more like five hours because I often have podcasts, music or videos playing on YouTube while I study or do chores.<\/p>\n Adults are viewing social media as something that hijacks our whole life, but really it\u2019s just something we use in downtime and it doesn\u2019t stop us from reaching out to each other and arranging to leave the house and hang out or anything like that. I also read, write and draw a lot. I play Dungeons and Dragons and video games.<\/p>\n The way I look at it is that the goals the government has about mental health and limiting the harm of inappropriate content could be achieved through regulation and education rather than a ban.<\/p>\n Making that education start earlier would be important, being able to navigate online spaces safely is something kids need to know about much younger now. And I think it might be dangerous to forget that and just let them loose at 16. They\u2019re going to encounter lots of weird stuff online before then anyway, so they should be taught about it earlier.<\/p>\n I\u2019m not sure if I will ever start using social media, unless it\u2019s for my career. I want to be an actor so for me it would be a professional tool rather than a source of entertainment.<\/p>\n Emma Williams says the government \u2018could spend their money better on educating rather than restricting\u2019. Photograph: Joel Pratley\/The GuardianEmma Williamson, 15<\/p>\n I turn 16 in February, so it will just be the holidays without Instagram for me really. I opened my account a couple of years ago and then I changed schools so it has been a good way to stay in touch with those people I don\u2019t see every day any more.<\/p>\n I think everyone will miss the socialising part. But it\u2019s also a relief to not have to do that on a platform designed to lure you in and waste your time, no one is going to miss scrolling. I get bored of watching reels quickly anyway, and AI slop is the worst, it takes so long to keep blocking that content and more keeps coming. I only want to see real content about my interests, like old audition videos of actors.<\/p>\n My daily average for Instagram is about half an hour. I use an app called Fitlock that gives me access to certain apps I choose based on how many steps I do. It\u2019s easy to turn off, but I try to stick to what I\u2019ve earned. And funnily enough, most of what I\u2019ve learned about how and why to keep social media use down has been from the apps themselves. There\u2019s lots of content from people a bit older than me encouraging people to get off their phones and go and live their lives in the real world.<\/p>\n My friends and I have group chats on Instagram but also on WhatsApp, so we will just spend more time there. Saying that, I find that Instagram content can be a fun conversation starter, so maybe we won\u2019t chat as much without that to share.<\/p>\n At school they teach about cyberbullying and harmful content but never about how to use the apps in healthy ways. I think the government could spend their money better on educating rather than restricting. Right now though what they teach us is really boring, they\u2019d need to work on that.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Australia\u2019s world-first social media ban for under-16s will begin in just a few days. 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