December 5, 2025
The Federal Young Nationals have called on the Federal Government to scrap the social media ban for under 16s which comes into effect next week.
From December 10, social media companies will be legally required to ensure that Australians under the age of 16 cannot set up accounts on their platforms, and that their existing accounts are deactivated.
The Federal Young Nationals believe the ban is “isolating, dangerous and useless”.
Federal Young Nationals president Charlie Plant, a former Kingaroy State High School student and Youth Parliament Member for Nanango, said that while social media can have harmful effects on young people, the social media ban would isolate young regional Aussies and push them to engage in riskier online behaviours, while ignoring the root causes of online harm.
“This ban, while well-intentioned, will serve only to give parents a false sense of security, leading to greater isolation and risk-taking by young Australians online,” Mr Plant said.
“Many young Australians in regional and remote areas rely on social media to stay connected with their family, community and mates. This ban risks cutting those kids off, inadvertently making the youth mental health crisis worse, especially in our regions.
“The ban will push kids to seek out riskier, unregulated means to access these online spaces. The ban will fail to prevent young Australians accessing these platforms, succeeding only in preventing them from doing so in a safe, legal and supervised environment.
“The root concerns and issues behind risk and harm on social media have been completely ignored by Labor’s blanket ban. Cyberbullying, poor mental health and self-image, and online echo chambers will all continue uninterrupted. All the ban does is push those issues beyond the reach of parents and regulators.”
