New age restrictions for social media

December 10, 2025 saw the world-first move to restrict Australians under 16 years old from using social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Reddit, to name a few.

According to eSafety, 4.7 million under-16s accounts were deactivated after the ban was introduced. Just prior to the ban, market research company Roy Morgan reported 624,000 children aged 14 and 15 used at least one social media platform.

So, what happens now for advertisers when they can no longer reach millions of young Australians?

Marketforce CEO Adam Marshall said the impact on business might not be as significant as some might think.

He said before the ban took effect, targeting children in marketing had already been highly restrictive.

“The rules preceded the ban, but it’s easy to conflate the two things,” Mr Marshall said.

“We’ve always had a lot of restrictions around deliberately targeting children.”

AdReview Director Lianne Richards agreed, saying advertising companies must ensure tactical provisions are made when marketing to children.

“Advertising to children and young people has always required additional care because they may interpret advertising differently from adults and may be more vulnerable to certain messages,” she said.

However, while strict laws are in place to protect children, the new restrictions could prove hard to control.

Mr Marshall said advertising companies were still capable of inadvertently targeting under-16s regardless of the ban.

“Children have figured out ways to get around the technology which is blocking them from that content,” he said.

Mr Marshall said the onus was on social media platforms, not advertising companies, to ensure under-16s could not access their services.

Despite this, Ms Richards said advertising companies still had responsibilities to uphold.

She said when delivering campaigns, a strong focus on complying with Australian Consumer Law was needed.

“Advertisers should understand the regulatory environment earlier, rather than trying to retrofit compliance at the end of a campaign,” Ms Richards said.

Author: Ra Castel is a third-year Bachelor of Journalism and Broadcast Media student at Edith Cowan University. He is a YouTuber and a content creator with more than a million views across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.