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Since December, we’ve been monitoring how platforms have responded to the Social Media Minimum Age legislation. 

We’re assessing what they’ve done - and where they're falling short.

And I want to reassure you – if a platform has not taken the reasonable steps they need to comply, we will take action. 

That's our role, and we’re committed to it.

Now we've heard some tremendous feedback from Australian families

that these changes have literally transformed the conversations their having with their kids about technology use

and also the dynamics within their family.

And that has certainly been the experience I've had over the past summer with my three teens.

We've also heard that some parents and carers haven't yet seen the changes they were hoping and expecting.

As I've said before, major reforms like this do take time.

Not just to embed, but to spark a cultural shift in how industry designs services to keep kids safer online.

We're literally challenging their business models.

When seatbelts were first introduced in the 1970s, the car industry pushed back. 

There were objections and claims that it couldn’t be done. 

But Australia stayed the course. 

Over time, society adapted, industry adapted –  and now cars compete on safety features, and seatbelts are simply standard.

Even today, we continue to update car safety standards and run campaigns around seatbelts saving lives.

And we back that with enforcement. 

And this is a similar moment. 

It won’t happen overnight, and although we can see some progress has been made, it's clear there's still a way to go.

Importantly, social media age laws are just one  of the protections for children, that are now in place in Australia.

Alongside eSafety's reporting schemes, the Age‑Restricted Material Codes help protect children from content they’re not ready to see and that may be harmful to them. 

These codes bring long‑standing offline protections into the online environment.

Just as a kid can’t walk into a bottle shop, an adult store or an R18+ movie without age checks, these same child‑safety principles now apply online.

eSafety has a social media restrictions hub and rich, evidence-based digital and algorithmic literacy resources, with more to come.

These are aimed at building kids' critical reasoning skills and digital resilience.

Together, these measures form part of a long‑term approach to protect Australians – particularly children – online. 

And we remain committed to holding platforms accountable, 

and ensuring these protections deliver real change for Australian families.

For more information, visit eSafety.gov.au.

Thank you.