The social media ban for under-16s is going to stop teenagers from watching a lot of things: clips from their favourite shows, sports highlights, gaming reviews and just about anything else you can imagine.
What hasn’t been discussed much is the impact it will have on young people’s ability to access news and information.
To be clear, this isn’t my main reason for opposing the ban – not even close. Privacy concerns, lack of proper consultation with young people, the overlooked negative impact a ban can have on many teens and the lack of parental exemptions are just some of the issues that have been raised since this idea was first floated last year.
But in a constantly evolving world, where people of all ages and backgrounds are going online to stay informed, ensuring that young people are not left behind is crucial.
It’s not as simple as telling a young person to watch the six o’clock news on free-to-air television, let alone read a physical newspaper. And they’re not all going to be automatically drawn to a news website when the ban comes into effect on 10 December.
From my experience with friends and classmates who don’t follow news on a 24/7 basis, the way they’re getting informed is almost always while scrolling on Instagram and TikTok. Having spoken to my younger brother – who is affected by the ban – it’s the same for his cohort as well.
Is the ideal form of news consumption short-form videos? Probably not, and it’s definitely not perfect in an age of misinformation and disinformation, especially with the rapid rise of AI-generated content. But in 2025, this is the reality of how so many young people find out the biggest stories of our time.
A major subset of the news people see is, of course, political reporting. I’m under no illusion that most young people want to consume politics on a daily basis, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be given opportunities to find out more while using their preferred platforms.
I think back to when I first properly used social media as a teenager (my parents would supervise my account during the earliest years of 6 News). Australian politics has always been one of my strongest personal interests and the ability to speak with other young people about it has allowed me to gain some incredible friendships and connections. This has also allowed me to learn from those with much more experience in this area, something I’m really grateful for.
It’s critical for young people stay informed about local politics. For better or worse, this often starts with social media.
At this year’s federal election, gen Z voters were being targeted more than ever before on social media platforms, which we can expect to continue for future elections. Young people should be able to engage in issues that matter to them most online in a safe and meaningful way, instead of being cut off from the platforms that deliver this information.
At the same time that this ban comes into force, there are discussions happening in Australia about lowering the voting age to 16, which I support being trialled. Imagine a situation in which a teenager is banned from having a YouTube account one day, to being able to vote the next.
When the government talks about the importance of getting teens to explore their interests offline, this risks putting some interests ahead of others. Social media is far from perfect, but young people deserve the ability to access news on the platforms they use – not blanket restrictions.
Leo Puglisi is chief anchor and managing director at 6 News Australia
