Summary

In late 2024, Australia introduced world-first legislation banning social media access for young people. The Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) 2024 Act is scheduled to take effect on 10 December 2025, with significant impacts for young people and their supporters. 

CMY’s 2025 Statewide Forum convened stakeholders from diverse youth-engaged sectors, academia and government to examine this critical policy shift. Drawing on research from the Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY) and featuring perspectives from government, academia and community organisations, the forum provided an opportunity to come together and explore how we can adapt to this change to collectively safeguard the inclusion, connection, wellbeing and access to information of multicultural and newly arrived young people, and others who will experience differential impacts.   

The forum provided a platform for knowledge sharing, cross-sector dialogue and collaborative problem-solving. With implementation approaching rapidly, participants engaged in practical discussions about sector preparedness, adaptation strategies and collective approaches to protecting the inclusion, wellbeing and information access of multicultural young people navigating this new landscape. 

Highlights 

With more than 100 participants in attendance, CMY CEO Carmel Guerra OAM delivered an opening address emphasising that “for multicultural and newly arrived young people, social media is not a luxury, it’s a lifeline.” Carmel acknowledged that the ban addresses legitimate concerns about online harms and mental health. However, she warned that it risks harming vulnerable young people, especially those from multicultural backgrounds who depend on social media to learn, connect with their communities and other young people, and participate fully in society. Carmel called on the sector to work together on implementation and to keep communication channels with young people open to protect vital support services. She also urged policymakers to do more to tackle the root causes of online harm, not just its symptoms.  

CMY Policy Officer Harini Kasthuriarachchi presented findings from CMY’s policy report, Blocked: The Social Media Ban, Multicultural Young People and Settlement. Drawing on consultations with multicultural young people and their supporters, Harini presented findings that raise concerns Australia’s world-first social media ban will have unintended consequences for marginalised youth. Harini shared that while the blanket approach aims to protect young people from online harms, it risks overlooking the significant benefits of social media for many youth, including newly arrived and multicultural young people for whom social media serves as an essential bridge to family, culture, and community – connections foundational to belonging and successful settlement. “Social media”, Harini said “is integral to settlement”.

A youth-moderated panel discussion followed that brought together experts in academia, advocacy, and youth engagement. Panellists agreed we must do more to regulate social media platforms and the online environments shaping how we connect and stay informed. They offered diverse perspectives on the ban and outlined concrete actions needed to support young people:

Bonnie Dukakis (Koorie Youth Council) noted that First Nations communities use social media more than any other group in Australia, with some family members relying solely on platforms like Messenger and Instagram for contact, while also finding safe spaces online.

Dr Alexandra Lee (Deakin University) highlighted the contradiction that multicultural young people are valued as “digital experts” and translators for their families until discussions about the social media ban suddenly frame them as needing adult protection and decision-making. 

Professor Julian Sefton-Green (Deakin University) said the ban raises fundamental questions about what constitutes ‘a good childhood’ and why young people aren’t treated as equals in decision-making.  

Daniel Donahoo (Project Rockit) urged services to think about how they can be responsive to young peoples’ changing needs by directly asking young people under 16 what they need and how they can best be supported through this change. 

Shannon White (MYAN) emphasised that young people must be treated as policy partners rather than passive recipients, with space and support to shape solutions that affect their lives.

Priorities & Actions 

Two consecutive workshops wrapped up the forum and provided a valuable opportunity for cross-sector collaboration and planning to support young people and their families as the ban takes effect. Some of the key areas identified for action included: 

• Enhance youth connectivity – Develop diverse communication channels and innovative engagement strategies to reach all young people, including those already facing barriers to participation and engagement 

• Strengthen youth voice mechanisms – Build and strengthen approaches that actively integrate young people’s perspectives into organisational decision-making and program design, especially for younger cohorts 

• Collective advocacy – Engage with cross-sector stakeholders around shared priorities to amplify impact and advance coordinated calls to action for youth wellbeing 

• Build digital capability – Equip young people and families with practical skills and knowledge to navigate online spaces safely and confidently 

• Foster cross-sector collaboration – Create (or use existing) regular opportunities for diverse youth-focused organisations and professionals to connect, share learnings, and develop integrated support models to directly explore changes in the digital lives of young people 

Shared Resources

Next steps 

Attendees left the Forum with actionable ideas to support young people in their work and opportunities to continue these conversations through their own advocacy and networks. The commitment across the sector to keeping youth voices at the centre of this important conversation remains vital as implementation approaches. 

Sign up to receive CMY’s enews (CMY Voice) for further updates and information on this and related topics.  CMY also have a youth enews channel (The Mix) to keep young people informed and connected.

Please also continue to share your work and opportunities to connect so we can keep this conversation going.