Young people consistently described online spaces as providing opportunities for self-expression and self-discovery.
Articles on Young people online
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There are ways to help children better self-regulate their own digital activity and prepare for the digital demands in their future.
Different play experiences may provide different developmental opportunities.
Perhaps the greatest danger is not that restrictions fail, but that they succeed just enough to convince us that the work is done.
Crucially, legislation cannot replace parenting, education and support.
Since its launch on 10 December 2025, Australian media has been filled with stories of children remaining on social media platforms.
If the practice is already widespread, why make it law?
Interactive and engaging uses of technology can foster language development.
Just because something is prohibited doesn’t take away the need for parents to have conversations with their children about it.
Most online platforms appear free to use, but they are largely funded through advertising.
MPs have effectively postponed the decision.
Social media platforms are marketing machines designed to extract value from experience itself.
Encourage verifying anything important – news, health claims, law, school facts, statements that may be repeated as “true”.
Young people learn online, but are cautious about sharing their own views.
The vote in the Lords took place on an amendment to the government’s Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.
The appeal of a ban lies in its simplicity. But complex social problems rarely yield to simple technological solutions.
The research found little evidence that time spent on social media or frequent gaming causes mental health problems in early-to-mid adolescence.
Brainrot creates a shared cultural code.
Children may be put off telling adults about something harmful they’re not supposed to have seen.
Young people repeatedly mentioned that adults are not sufficiently involved or do not understand what children and teenagers do online.
Top contributors
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Professor of IT Ethics and Digital Rights, Bournemouth University
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Sexologist & Lecturer and Research Fellow in Communications & Culture, Edith Cowan University
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Senior Lecturer in Digital Technologies for Learning, University of Wollongong
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Lelia Green is a Friend of The Conversation.
Professor of Communications, Edith Cowan University
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Associate Professor in Criminology, University of Surrey
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Professor of Information Sciences & Director, Social Change Enabling Impact Platform, RMIT University
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Lecturer, Monash University
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Associate Professor Digital Technologies for Learning | ARC DECRA Fellow, University of Wollongong
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Researcher, Digital Wellbeing, Western Sydney University
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Professor of Sociology, School of Justice, Queensland University of Technology
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Director of Research and Policy at The Dor Foundation and Associate Professor of Politics at Deakin University, Deakin University
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Professor of Sociology, School of Social Sciences, Monash University
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Senior Lecturer in British Politics, Queen Mary University of London
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Associate Professor in Law, Australian National University
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PhD Candidate in Computer Science, Loughborough University