Download This Show Is Australia's social media ban *actually* working?
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Mar 27, 2026 Jocelyn Brewer, psychologist and founder of Digital Nutrition, offers expertise on young people’s digital wellbeing. Josh Taylor, technology reporter at The Guardian, explains platform rules and compliance. They unpack Australia’s under-16 social media delay, how platforms enforced it, age-verification methods and privacy trade-offs. Short takes on workarounds, shifting youth behavior and legal foundations.
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What The December 10 Age Rules Actually Did
- The December 10 change required named platforms to implement age assurance and deactivate identified under-16 accounts.
- Platforms reported ~4.7 million deactivations but Josh Taylor and Rae Johnston warn this raw figure lacks context and includes inactive or misclassified accounts.
The 4.7 Million Number Is Misleading
- The headline 4.7 million figure does not prove how many under-16s were removed because platforms were only asked for total before/after user counts.
- Josh Taylor explains those numbers can include dormant Google accounts or adults who self-deleted, making the metric unreliable.
Teens Use Social Media For Creative Connection
- Young people use social platforms for diverse, skill-building and creative activities beyond doom-scrolling.
- Jocelyn Brewer highlights kids following passions, curating feeds and co‑creating content, showing moderate supported use can be positive.
