The introduction of legislation restricting social media access for under-16s by the Australian Government has been welcomed by the National Rural Health Alliance as an important first signal that it is willing to act on digital harm – but that is where the comfort stops, unless this is only the first step of a suite of changes.
“We all wish for young people to be safe online, but banning under-16s from social media risks pushing them into unregulated spaces, cutting them off from support networks and placing the burden of policing technology onto families that are already stretched” comments Susi Tegen, Chief Executive of the National Rural Health Alliance.
“Today’s legislative step is welcome, but it must not be the full stop – it must be the first comma. Real protection comes from regulating platforms, not punishing children. Build safety in; don’t legislate absence.”
The NRHA maintains a need for a different approach, one that protects children and their mental health, without isolating them.
“The real issue isn’t teenagers – it is the platforms designed to harvest attention, amplify harm and escape accountability” says Ms Tegen.
Rural children in particular, often already isolated due to their postcode, rely greatly on social media for communication, expression and to get involved.
Globally, leading child and youth advocates and parents have been warning for several years that holistic measures need to be in place.
While a welcome start, the under-16s legislative ban is a band-aid on its own. “Children accessing social media are being drawn in by unsafe tech platforms that utilise manipulative algorithms. It is a problem that has already galloped ahead – unless stronger system responses follow in rapid succession,” Ms Tegen stresses.
While the ban highlights public concern about exploitation, bullying, harmful body-image content and targeted commercial manipulation, the core issue is due to a lack of tech-corporate responsibility, with young people having already migrated to alternative platforms, VPN-enabled tools and encrypted spaces that sit outside regulation.
“We acknowledge that this legislation shows political intent – but the horse has bolted,” Ms Tegen says.
“Unless the government rapidly follows with technological platform duty-of-care laws, mandatory safety-by-design settings, digital literacy in schools that also involves support for parents, and youth-accessible complaint pathways, children will remain exposed and manipulated – just less visible.”
The National Rural Health Alliance calls for systemic protection instead of symbolic bans, involving:
- legal accountability for tech companies,
- independent oversight and enforcement,
- digital wellbeing education for children and parents, and
- specialist approaches for rural and remote youth, who rely more heavily on online spaces for connection and support.
The NRHA echoes concerns from parents, and warns that without these measures, the reform risks being seen as political theatre, rather than a genuine structural change. Greater legislative protection and a more holistic approach is necessary to protect rural and remote youth from further isolation and prioritise mental well-being.
Media enquires: Kate Tarbotton, Administration, Media, and Policy Assistant, National Rural Health Alliance, [email protected]