When Social Media Disappears: Helping Kids in Australia's Social Media Ban

When Social Media Disappears: Helping Kids Thrive Through Australia’s Under-16 Ban

This is a big change. As of 10 December 2025, children under 16 in Australia will no longer be allowed to hold accounts on major social-media platforms. Australia’s new law restricting under-16s from having social-media accounts will mean major platforms begin removing or blocking access for young users. Most parents and teens already know this is happening, but what many don’t know is how deeply this change can affect a young person’s identity, confidence and daily routine and how much support they may need in the adjustment.

This isn’t just a digital shift. For some kids, it will feel like a social earthquake. A disruption. An identity pulled from under their feet. But it doesn’t have to be a crisis. With care, awareness and clear communication, this ban might open a doorway to something better with clearer values, deeper connections, and a healthier digital future.

What Kids Might Be Feeling — The Real Emotions Beneath the Surface

For many young people, social media is more than just apps. It’s identity, community, communication a place they belong. So, when it disappears, or at the very least changes drastically, it’s likely going to trigger a cascade of emotions and fears. Some that might pop up:

“Nobody will talk to me anymore.”

For many young people, social media isn’t a hobby, it’s the default communication tool. Losing it can feel like suddenly being cut out of the loop, as if everyone else is still at the party while they’ve been sent home early. Kids often fear that without constant online visibility, friendships will fade, conversations will go on without them, and they’ll slowly become irrelevant. This fear isn’t superficial, it’s rooted in belonging and connection, two of the most important psychological needs during adolescence.

“I’ll be left out of everything.”

Even before the ban, young people already struggled with FOMO, the feeling that something important is happening without them. With social media gone, this fear intensifies. Kids worry they won’t know about weekend plans, group activities, private jokes, or the subtle social shifts that unfold online. For teens, belonging is a social survival skill, and the idea of missing updates can feel like a genuine threat to their place in the group. This sense of exclusion can create anxiety, irritability and tension at home, not because they’re being dramatic, but because their world is shifting faster than they can emotionally process it.

“I’m not normal now.”

Adolescence is a time when feeling “different” can feel unbearable. Many kids will interpret the ban as a personal disadvantage something that makes them stand out in a way they didn’t choose. They may assume everyone else will somehow “find a way around it,” and they’ll be the only one who actually loses access. The fear of being the outlier, or the kid who doesn’t fit the cultural norm, can create shame, embarrassment, or resentment. Underneath this is a deep desire to feel equal, accepted and aligned with peers.

“My identity disappears.”

For some young people, social media is where they express themselves, experiment with identity, share interests, follow creators they admire, and feel seen. Removing the platform can feel like removing a mirror they use to understand themselves. They may fear that without their online presence, their profile, their posts, their followers, they have no clear sense of who they are. This sense of “identity loss” can be confronting, especially for teens still figuring out where they fit in the world.

“I’ll become more lonely or depressed.”

Even if social media sometimes contributes to anxiety or stress, many kids feel it is their main emotional outlet a place to decompress, laugh, distract themselves or feel understood. Losing that coping tool can create real emotional discomfort. Kids may worry they won’t have anything to fill the empty moments, that silence will feel heavier, or that they’ll be left alone with thoughts they find difficult. These worries deserve compassion and conversation, because they speak to a genuine need for connection, comfort and emotional grounding.

What Parents Might Be Feeling — The Unspoken Side of This Transition

Parents often feel a complicated mix of relief, uncertainty and guilt. Relief because the online world has felt unsafe for a long time. Uncertainty because change always creates unpredictability. And guilt because enforcing the ban can make you feel like the “bad guy” in your child’s eyes, even if you know it’s the right decision long-term.
Some parents also fear the conflict this may create, pushback, emotional eruptions, withdrawal or resentment. And beneath all of it is a shared worry: Will my child be okay without the thing they’ve relied on so heavily?

You’re not alone in that. And the truth is, with thoughtful guidance and communication, kids tend to adapt more quickly than we expect.

How Parents Can Support the Transition (Without Dismissing Their Feelings)

Here are the core principles to help you guide them through this change with calm, clarity and connection:

Listen first, validate second

Many kids are expecting to be talked out of their feelings or told they’re overreacting. That’s why simply listening, really listening, becomes one of the most powerful tools you have. When parents reflect back the emotion behind the words (“I can hear how overwhelming this feels”), it signals to the child that their experience is real and worth taking seriously. Validation doesn’t mean agreeing with the fears, it means acknowledging them. This reduces defensiveness, softens emotional intensity and opens the door to more productive conversations.

Co-design the transition together

Kids cope better with change when they feel they have some control over it. Invite them into the process: how will they stay connected to friends, what routines need to adjust, what boundaries feel fair and realistic? Co-designing the plan turns the transition from something being “done to them” into something they’re actively shaping. This increases resilience because it strengthens their sense of agency. And the more ownership they feel, the less rebellious or resentful they’ll become.

Strengthen offline identity

This is the moment to help your child widen their picture of who they are. Encourage activities that build skill, passion or confidence, whether that’s music, sport, gaming communities that comply with the rules, art, reading, volunteering or hands-on projects. Offline identity creates a sturdier foundation for self-worth than likes, followers or digital validation ever could. When kids begin to discover strengths unrelated to screens, they fill the space left behind with something richer, more enduring and far more empowering.

Establish communication rituals

Social media filled tiny spaces in every child’s day: the bus ride, the moments before bed, the walk between classes. When those micro-moments disappear, silence can feel unfamiliar or uncomfortable. Creating small, predictable touchpoints like weekly hangouts with friends, shared family activities, evening check-ins will help replace the connection once found online. These rituals become emotional anchors, reminding kids that support still exists even if the platform disappears. Over time, these moments create a sense of safety and connection that social media could never truly provide.

Help them reframe the story

Reframing is a powerful psychological skill. Instead of: “This is unfair and everything is ruined,” parents can guide kids toward a broader perspective. Not with toxic positivity, but with grounded truth: “This is a big change, and it will take time, but it may also give you more space, more calm and more freedom.” Reframing helps kids move from helplessness to adaptability. It shifts their focus from what they’re losing to what they may gain — without dismissing the discomfort of the transition.

Why This Change Might Be Better Than It Feels

With guidance and support, I’m aligned with a number of parents and firmly believe that it will benefit our kids in the future. Kids rarely choose habits that are good for them — they choose habits that feel good now. This ban removes the short-term dopamine pull and makes room for deeper wellbeing to grow. More mental clarity and reduced comparison

Social media bombards kids with endless inputs, opinions, images, trends, drama and comparison triggers. Removing that constant mental noise gives their brain a chance to quieten, recover and recalibrate. Without the pressure of comparing themselves to hundreds of peers or influencers, many kids gradually experience less self-doubt, less insecurity and more inner steadiness.

Evening scrolling disrupts melatonin production and keeps the brain in a state of artificial alertness. When the habit is removed, kids fall asleep faster and more deeply, leading to better mood regulation, stronger concentration and more emotional stability. Many parents notice improvements within days: mornings feel smoother, motivation increases and irritability drops.

Digital spaces create performance anxiety, the constant need to present, respond, update, react and maintain relevance. Without this social pressure, kids often feel a surprising sense of relief. The absence of a public audience allows them to be more authentic, more relaxed and less preoccupied with how they appear.

Identity shaped online is often fragile, influenced by trends, validation and the opinions of strangers. When kids step away from those influences, they begin to rediscover what they like, what they value and who they are independent of external approval. This builds deeper self-esteem that isn’t dependent on algorithmic rewards.

When relationships shift from digital snapshots to in-person conversations, kids often find their friendships become more genuine and emotionally grounded. They start investing in people who matter rather than maintaining shallow, algorithm-driven interactions. Over time, this strengthens social confidence and emotional resilience.

Without online communities that promote comparison, self-criticism, risky behaviour or adult content, kids are less likely to encounter messages that damage their wellbeing. This reduction in exposure creates space for healthier influences and helps prevent long-term patterns of anxiety, dysregulation or self-esteem struggles.

When the brain is freed from the constant stimulation of scrolling, kids naturally become more imaginative, more curious and more engaged with the world around them. They rediscover boredom and with it, the creativity that boredom unlocks. They also gain more true rest, the kind that nourishes rather than distracts.

This Is Not the End of Their World, Even If It Feels Like It

Your child might see this as loss, disconnection or punishment. That’s valid. Their feelings deserve time, space and empathy.

This transition may feel chaotic, emotional and uncertain for kids and parents. But beneath the discomfort is the possibility of a profound reset.
With calm guidance, empathetic communication and a little psychological insight, this moment can help young people grow stronger, steadier and more connected to their offline life a chance to build resilience, identity, presence and purpose away from the noise.

And as always remember: The day is what you make it.