<description>&lt;p&gt;Today&amp;rsquo;s the day. Australia&amp;rsquo;s new &lt;strong&gt;Social Media Minimum Age Legislation&lt;/strong&gt; kicks in&amp;mdash;and families everywhere are feeling everything from relief to panic. In this special episode, Justin is interviewed by &amp;ldquo;Intrepid Reporter Kylie&amp;rdquo; in a reenactment of a newsroom conversation that never got to air.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;You&amp;rsquo;ll hear what this ban &lt;em&gt;actually&lt;/em&gt; means, how parents and teens are reacting, why the timing matters, and what families can do to keep kids connected, active, and thriving&amp;mdash;without the algorithm pulling them in.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Short, practical, reassuring. A must-listen for every parent navigating summer holidays and a new digital reality.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;KEY POINTS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li aria-level="1"&gt;Why parent reactions have been overwhelmingly positive&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li aria-level="1"&gt;How teens really feel&amp;mdash;and why some are secretly relieved&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li aria-level="1"&gt;What the legislation &lt;em&gt;does&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;doesn&amp;rsquo;t&lt;/em&gt; block&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li aria-level="1"&gt;The truth about VPNs, fake IDs, and workarounds&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li aria-level="1"&gt;Why school holiday timing may actually be perfect&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li aria-level="1"&gt;How this ban affects connection, loneliness, and real-life friendships&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li aria-level="1"&gt;What platforms are age-restricted vs. still accessible&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li aria-level="1"&gt;Why messaging apps aren&amp;rsquo;t the same as social media&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li aria-level="1"&gt;How Justin &amp;amp; Kylie navigated the changes with their own teen&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li aria-level="1"&gt;The essential role parents still play (the ban doesn&amp;rsquo;t replace you!)&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;QUOTE OF THE EPISODE&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;I&amp;rsquo;m not anti-screen. I&amp;rsquo;m pro living a full, balanced, whole, healthy life.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;RESOURCES MENTIONED&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li aria-level="1"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.esafety.gov.au/about-us/industry-regulation/social-media-age-restrictions-hub"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;eSafety Social Media Hub&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/a&gt;&amp;ndash; full details on the new minimum age legislation&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li aria-level="1"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.esafety.gov.au/about-us/industry-regulation/social-media-age-restrictions/which-platforms-are-age-restricted"&gt;Platform list &lt;/a&gt;of &lt;strong&gt;age-restricted vs. permitted services&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li aria-level="1"&gt;&lt;a href="happyfamilies.com.au"&gt;happyfamilies.com.au&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;ACTION STEPS FOR PARENTS&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ol&gt; &lt;li aria-level="1"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Talk early and often&lt;/strong&gt; about the changes rather than enforcing them cold.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li aria-level="1"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Shift the focus to real life:&lt;/strong&gt; encourage outdoor time, friends over, hands-on activities.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li aria-level="1"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Check your child&amp;rsquo;s accounts together&lt;/strong&gt; and deactivate any that are now age-restricted.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li aria-level="1"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Discuss messaging alternatives&lt;/strong&gt; (not algorithm-driven).&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li aria-level="1"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Stay engaged&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;mdash;the ban reduces risk but doesn&amp;rsquo;t remove screen challenges.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li aria-level="1"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Reassure your child&lt;/strong&gt; that boredom is normal and survivable&amp;mdash;and often the gateway to creativity.&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ol&gt;&lt;p&gt;See &lt;a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener"&gt;omnystudio.com/listener&lt;/a&gt; for privacy information.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Dr Justin Coulson's Happy Families

Dr Justin Coulson

The Social Media Ban Starts Today — What Parents Need to Know

DEC 9, 202517 MIN
Dr Justin Coulson's Happy Families

The Social Media Ban Starts Today — What Parents Need to Know

DEC 9, 202517 MIN

Description

Today’s the day. Australia’s new Social Media Minimum Age Legislation kicks in—and families everywhere are feeling everything from relief to panic. In this special episode, Justin is interviewed by “Intrepid Reporter Kylie” in a reenactment of a newsroom conversation that never got to air.

You’ll hear what this ban actually means, how parents and teens are reacting, why the timing matters, and what families can do to keep kids connected, active, and thriving—without the algorithm pulling them in.

Short, practical, reassuring. A must-listen for every parent navigating summer holidays and a new digital reality.

KEY POINTS

  • Why parent reactions have been overwhelmingly positive
  • How teens really feel—and why some are secretly relieved
  • What the legislation does and doesn’t block
  • The truth about VPNs, fake IDs, and workarounds
  • Why school holiday timing may actually be perfect
  • How this ban affects connection, loneliness, and real-life friendships
  • What platforms are age-restricted vs. still accessible
  • Why messaging apps aren’t the same as social media
  • How Justin & Kylie navigated the changes with their own teen
  • The essential role parents still play (the ban doesn’t replace you!)

QUOTE OF THE EPISODE

“I’m not anti-screen. I’m pro living a full, balanced, whole, healthy life.”

RESOURCES MENTIONED

ACTION STEPS FOR PARENTS

  1. Talk early and often about the changes rather than enforcing them cold.
  2. Shift the focus to real life: encourage outdoor time, friends over, hands-on activities.
  3. Check your child’s accounts together and deactivate any that are now age-restricted.
  4. Discuss messaging alternatives (not algorithm-driven).
  5. Stay engaged—the ban reduces risk but doesn’t remove screen challenges.
  6. Reassure your child that boredom is normal and survivable—and often the gateway to creativity.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.