In late 2024, the Australian Government passed legislation stating that within 12 months social media platforms must take 'reasonable steps' to prevent users under the age of 16 having accounts on those platforms[1]. Initially driven by a small number of vocal politicians, the Murdoch-owned media, and Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation, this idea went from a niche cause to legislation in less than a year, despite most scholarly evidence disputing, or at least not supporting, the effectiveness of such a ban on teen health and wellbeing.

While many young Australians frequently use social media platforms in Australia under the current legal age of 13, these changes will present a particularly acute rupture in the networked and online experience of Australian teenagers, especially those in the 13-15 group, in terms of how they communicate and network, how they access many forms of information, and how participate politically. By the time we meet in Niterói in October 2025, Australia’s social media ban will be less than 2 months away from the last moment it can be implemented (and it may have already done so).

The initial roundtable discussants are Australian academics who were called on as expert commentators while the social media ban was being debated in Australia and each will provide a short 5-minute provocation talking about the ban from social, technical, policy and child rights centred perspectives. They are: Professor Amanda Third (UWS); Professor Daniel Angus (QUT); Professor Axel Bruns (QUT); & Professor Tama Leaver (Curtin).

The roundtable will be anchored in the Australian experience but will also be a space to discuss whether similar bans might be enacted in other countries, what the likely impact will be, and the impact (or lack thereof) of research evidence in the way these ideas circulate publicly.

[1] https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Bills_Legislation/Bills_Search_Results/Result?bId=r7284