Navigating the social media ban

From 10 December 2025, the social media landscape in Australia is changing for young people. As the government introduces new restrictions on the availability of social media platforms for those under the age of 16, youth ministries will face new discipleship challenges and opportunities, as this represents a significant cultural shift in how many young people will remain socially connected with each other. As ministry workers planning and preparing to disciple young people through these changes, we may be asking the following questions:

-       What do the changes mean for our youth ministry Instagram account?

-       Should we pivot to using other platforms that everyone can access?

-       Should we take our youth ministry off social media completely?

-       Will we notice an increase in issues of loneliness and anxiety next year?

-       How can we best disciple teenagers in this season of change?

At the time of writing this article, we know that the onus falls on the social media platforms to take reasonable steps to prevent people under the age of 16 from creating a new account or keeping an existing account on the platforms included in the ban. (A current list of included and excluded platforms can be found here). The restrictions are designed to protect young people from the pressures and risks that social media brings – particularly in the areas of addiction and social media dependency. In practice, it means that the minimum age for users on these platforms is shifting from 13 to 16.

While some of the details of how the new restrictions are going to be implemented currently remain unknown, there are two key categories of implications that deserve our attention.

1.     Practical Implications

Once the new restrictions commence, those under the age of 16 will lose access to their accounts on many social media platforms. In practice, this means that our youth ministry social media channels will only be accessible by those in years 11 and 12, as well as leaders, parents, and other adults.

For some youth ministries there will be minimal change required, while for others it will be much more significant, depending on your context and current use of various platforms.

This is a great opportunity to review your current youth ministry channels of communication (including social media) and to consider:

-       Are we currently using social media to engage socially with people throughout the week or simply as an announcement platform?

-       Which channels are currently the most effective for different audiences?

-       Which channels are we investing time and energy into that are currently ineffective?

-       What opportunities do these changes provide for new ways of communicating?

As I’ve spoken with youth ministers in recent weeks about these changes, many of them are assessing new opportunities for online group chats (especially between youth and their leaders). WhatsApp communities appear to be a great option that allow these conversations to occur in ways that operate within Safe Ministry guidelines.

2.    Pastoral Implications

In addition to the practical implications, there are also a range of pastoral implications that need to be worked through – and in many ways these are the more significant and important considerations. It’s highly likely that these changes represent a significant cultural adjustment for Australian teenagers. This means that while some may not need to adjust much within their ministry, all of us need to take the time to guide our youth, our youth leaders, and families through these changes.

Pastoring Youth

In the lead up to these changes and in the months following, it will be important to listen to young people about what they’re thinking and feeling. We may like to ask them such questions as:

-       What do you know about why the law has changed?

-       Do you think these changes will be beneficial for teenagers?

-       How are you and your friends feeling about the changes?

-       What have you noticed is different since the changes began?

-       What do you think will be helpful for you to remain socially connected with others?

As we have these conversations with teens, we need to recognise that adapting to the changes will likely take some time. Our aim should be to help them to develop new, healthy habits for relating to one another. Just like going to the gym helps us develop physical muscles over time, we have an opportunity to help young people develop new socialising muscles over time. In the context of youth groups, we have ready-built structures that not only encourage embodied relationships but also bring people into the joy of Christian community as together we grow in our love and service of Jesus.

Pastoring Youth Leaders

As we enter 2026, our teams of youth leaders will be on the front line of conversations with youth about the changes and the impacts they’re noticing. Equipping our leaders to be ready for these conversations is important.

Even though our youth leaders themselves won’t be impacted by the changes, we can prepare them to have good conversations with young people in which they’re listening and asking questions. Equipping leaders to be particularly alert to mental health challenges should be a priority. Teenagers who have relied on social media for relational connectedness may experience an increased sense of loneliness and social isolation. Helping leaders be alert to these impacts and being aware of young people who disconnect themselves from the group will be wise. It’s important also to recognise that (most of) our youth leaders aren’t mental health professionals, and so we should equip them to be able to point young people to those who are.

Pastoring Families

In addition to pastoring youth and youth leaders, we should spend time thinking through how we will talk to families about the changes. Many parents that I’ve spoken to feel ill-equipped to know how to talk to their teenagers about the changes and how to help them develop healthy new relational habits, especially in the context of spiritual discipleship.

As youth ministry workers we have an opportunity to partner with families in this space, recognising that different families may approach their response to the changes in different ways. You may like to provide some resources to families to help them have these conversations or consider hosting a parent forum in which space is given for parents to hear from each other and to share ideas.

We know that youth groups present an excellent opportunity for embodied relationships, and so as we plan and prepare for a new year of ministry, we should ensure our youth programs provide adequate time for people to be developing and investing in good relationships with one another. At times we over-program our ministries with good things at the expense of space for relational depth.

How are you planning to address the social media ban, and what opportunities does it provide in your ministry context?

For an extended discussion on this topic, listen to Episode 101 of The Effective Ministry Podcast.

For more resources in the mental health space, look here: Mental Health Resource Hub