{"id":5092,"date":"2025-11-21T15:01:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T04:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/olmcburraneer\/?post_type=article&p=5092"},"modified":"2025-11-21T15:01:00","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T04:01:00","slug":"principals-post-on-empowering-young-women-16","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/olmcburraneer\/article\/principals-post-on-empowering-young-women-16\/","title":{"rendered":"Principal’s Post on Empowering Young Women"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Since 1935, Our Lady of Mercy Catholic College has held a legacy of instilling the values of leadership, excellence and service, nurturing confident young women. We empower our girls to make their make on society with confidence and compassion.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

New legislation from the Australian Government is set to take effect, aiming to strengthen child wellbeing and safety across schools. Esteemed parenting expert, speaker, author, and researcher with a PhD in positive psychology, Dr Justin Coulson explores the rationale, timing, and implications of this reform.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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A Safer Digital Future: What Parents Need to Know About Australia\u2019s New Social Media Age Laws<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Justin Coulson November 3, 2025 (happyfamilies.com.au)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From December 10 this year, Australia will lead the world in a major change to online safety.
New legislation will restrict children under the age of 16 from creating or maintaining social media accounts \u2014 including popular platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter). (Other platforms such as Roblox and Discord have not been identified as \u201cin\u201d or \u201cout\u201d at time of publication.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a huge and positive step. And for many families, it will mean big changes to how kids connect, communicate, and spend their time online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why the Change?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The decision comes after years of accumulating evidence giving more and more indications that social media \u2014 while fun, engaging, and sometimes even educational \u2014 can also be deeply dangerous for children and teens. These platforms are deliberately designed<\/a> to capture attention, keep users scrolling, and reward comparison. They elevate extremism and outrage. They expose children to violent and explicit content, cyberbullying, unrealistic ideals, and a steady stream of social pressure that can erode wellbeing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Australia\u2019s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant explained when she joined me on The Happy Families podcast<\/a>, \u201cParents shouldn\u2019t have to fight billion-dollar companies to keep their kids safe online \u2014 the responsibility belongs with the platforms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How it Works<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s what this law does. It shifts the onus off parents and onto tech companies, requiring them to take \u201creasonable steps\u201d to stop under-16s from having accounts or being algorithmically targeted. This means parents won\u2019t face penalties. The responsibility \u2014 and the fines, which can reach nearly $50 million \u2014 will fall to social media companies that fail to comply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To be compliant (and keep under 16s off the various platforms), big tech companies who are on the \u201cbanned\u201d list will use a combination of age assurance tools \u2014 think AI-based content analysis, behavioural signals, and layered safety checks. Regular identification can be used, but if people are uncomfortable with that, the platforms will supply other methodologies for age verification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Messaging apps like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger won\u2019t be affected, but it\u2019s likely that some online games and creative platforms (such as Roblox) could fall under review as rules evolve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The law won\u2019t solve every problem. Kids will still find ways to connect, and not every unsafe corner of the internet will disappear. But this new baseline gives parents a powerful ally \u2014 and a clear message that childhood deserves protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Parents Can Do<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These next few months are a chance to help your children make a healthy digital transition. Here are seven simple, practical steps to start now:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Start the conversation. Talk with your child about what\u2019s changing, why it matters, and how it\u2019s designed to protect them \u2014 not punish them. Keep it calm, curious, and compassionate.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Highlight the risks. Explain how social media can fuel anxiety, comparison, or exposure to harmful content, and why limits help everyone breathe easier.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Review and guide. Look at what your child is currently using. Help them save special memories, photos, or messages before their accounts change \u2014 and brainstorm other ways to connect with friends offline.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Stay informed. Visit esafety.gov.au<\/a> for up-to-date resources, checklists, and webinars explaining how the legislation will work.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Watch for changes. Expect some frustration or FOMO (fear of missing out) when these changes arrive. Listen first. Reassure them that they\u2019re not alone \u2014 no one under 16 will be able to use these platforms.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. Know the exceptions. Messaging apps and most online games are currently exempt, so your child might migrate to those spaces. Keep guiding conversations about what\u2019s safe and what\u2019s not.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. Understand the scope. The rules apply only to platforms with \u201csocial media\u201d features \u2014 spaces designed for sharing and following others. New apps will continue to appear, so stay curious and connected.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Perhaps most importantly, create community. Build relationships. Find ways to encourage your children and their friends to be able to connect, communicate, and enjoy a play-based, rather than a screen-based, childhood. This takes effort on our part. But the effort is worth it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Get to know your child\u2019s friend\u2019s parents. Arrange for phone number swaps. Organise playdates and hangouts. Create the space your child needs to spend real-world time in real-world activities with friends and family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Beyond the Legislation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Even with these changes, some parenting principles never change. Keep devices out of bedrooms<\/a>. Set clear limits on screen time, especially before bed. Encourage real-world play, social time, and rest. And when you can, model healthy tech use<\/a> yourself \u2014 that\u2019s what your kids will notice most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    As Commissioner Inman Grant put it, \u201cWe expect car makers to install airbags and seatbelts \u2014 but we still teach our kids to drive safely.\u201d The same applies online. The government can help make the internet safer, but it\u2019s still up to families to model good habits, build trust, and keep the conversation going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    If you\u2019d like to understand the new Social Media Minimum Age legislation in detail, visit esafety.gov.au for guides,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Since 1935, Our Lady of Mercy Catholic College has held a legacy of instilling the values of leadership, excellence and service, nurturing confident young women. We empower our girls to make their make on society with confidence and compassion. New legislation from the Australian Government is set to take effect, aiming to strengthen child wellbeing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1544,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","article_category":[],"article_tag":[],"class_list":["post-5092","article","type-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/olmcburraneer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/5092","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/olmcburraneer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/olmcburraneer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/article"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/olmcburraneer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5092"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/olmcburraneer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1544"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/olmcburraneer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5092"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"article_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/olmcburraneer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article_category?post=5092"},{"taxonomy":"article_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/olmcburraneer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article_tag?post=5092"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}