Social media in 2025 is unavoidable. Internet usage in children is growing, with half of Australian children having their own device by the age of 12. This comes with exposure to social media. Social media is a form of digital communication via website or app. It allows users to share content through text, video, photos, and more. Popular social media platforms include Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. Follow this parent’s guide to social media for tips on how to keep your child safe online.
School aged children use social media for connection, self-expression and entertainment. By sharing whatever content they wish, teens are able to create an online personality. Online platforms make it easy for teens to connect with friends, which builds online communities. Young people are social beings, so a space which makes it easy to connect with others is bound to become popular. As the online space continues to grow, the value of having friends online is becoming increasingly appealing to young people.
According to education NSW, phones are a distraction in schools. Phones in the classroom introduce disruption to class time, which takes away from students’ learning. School’s also provide an important time for students to improve social skills. Social media access during school times reduces this interaction, limiting time for these skills to form. While it’s important to prepare students for the digital future, The NSW government wants to limit the use of phones during school. Schools teach cyber safety, where students can get information on how to stay safe online.
Social media comes with many threats to young people. As social media platforms make it easy to connect, it’s easier for exposure to online risks. A major risk is the harm of mental health. Investigations conducted by Education NSW show the link between social media and anxiety. When a child under 16 is online, they may face negative content such as false information, cyberbullying or adult content. This has a deeper impact on a young mind, as the brain regions for self control have not yet developed.
Professor Ben Edwards, lead researcher at Australian National University says “while we know that young people face many challenges that could impact their life satisfaction, we found that the use of many of the mainstream social media platforms was associated with poorer life satisfaction”
Anonymous communication is also a risk, as teens may find it hard to know who they are talking to, and if they are safe. Some platforms allow for location sharing, making young people vulnerable to cyber-stalking.
TikTok:
Recently, TikTok has become one of the most popular social media platforms for young people. Its’ quick videos, often spanning less than 15 seconds, grab the users’ attention, making it highly addictive. TikTok’s settings are based on your age. This limits the ways teens are able to use the app, such as automatically setting the account to private. TikTok allows parents to link their account to their teens’. This allows for better management of privacy, such as screen time control.
Instagram:
Instagram is a photo and video sharing app, and is one of the most popular social media platforms for teens. People can follow anyone from friends to celebrities. Setting your profile to either public or private protects content.
Instagram has developed more than 50 tools to help teens use Instagram safely. Instagram has a “teen account” feature, where 13-17 year olds will have a protected experience. This will include who can contact them and what content they see.
Facebook:
Facebook includes features to protect the safety of minors. This includes protecting sensitive information, controlling who can see posts, and providing education about online safety.
Snapchat:
Snapchat is a message sharing platform, who’s disappearing messages make appealing for young users. Snapchat is one of the platforms who use location sharing, so it is important to be mindful of your child’s settings. Snapchat has automatic setting for teens, only allowing them to communicate with friends.
Australia has ruled that social media can’t be used for children under 16. This is introduced with the aim of reducing harm sourced from social media. The Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 will come into effect from December 2025.
Parents can help their children use social media safely using these simple steps:
Ensure they are looking at age-appropriate content
By checking your child is honest about their age on social media means they are exposed to the correct content-restricting settings.
Review their privacy setting
Many social media platforms have privacy setting, allowing for you to change how you are perceived online. This can give parents peace of mind, reassuring them that there is control over who can and can’t access/communicate with your child.
Monitor your child’s screen time
Reducing screen time can minimise the habits of being on social media. This limits exposure to the negative effects of being online.
Social media doesn’t have to be considered a negative. Parents can embrace how connected children are to the world. They now have easy access to the news, making them more informed about world events. Social media has become a creative place, allowing for a range of topics to be discussed. Embracing social media encourages children to be transparent about the content they see on social media. This encourages healthy communication between the parents and child.