11 Nov 2025

Navigating the Upcoming Social Media Changes in a BodyKind Way

In this blog, Danni Rowlands, Butterfly’s Director of Education Initiatives, discusses the Australian Government’s upcoming social media changes for young people.

As the Government’s social media changes for under-16s draw closer, it’s time for parents and adults with young people in their lives to put aside personal feelings or opinions about the incoming ‘ban’. Why? Because this isn’t about us – it’s about them.

Devices, online environments, and social media platforms have become the main characters in many children and teens’ lives. They’ve shaped their social and emotional skills and for many, social media is how they connect, communicate, and even value and see themselves.

Social media has influenced their values, beliefs, and behaviours — including how they think and feel about their bodies, health, and appearance.

Every young person’s experience with social media is unique to them but for many, using social media is as habitual as brushing their teeth. It’s become woven into their morning, afternoon, and bedtime routines – their go-to to wind down after school or the tool to wind up before sports or training, and generating a TikTok or two while getting ready to socialise is a standard part of their ‘getting ready’ routines.

Rightly or wrongly, social media has become the trusted source of comfort, connection, and community. It’s where they’ve captured memories, experiences, friendships and is a part of their identity.

Having worked at Butterfly for nearly 20 years delivering body image education — including media and social media literacy — I’ve seen firsthand how these platforms can both connect and harm. Children and teens today have been exposed to and have consumed more appearance-related content than any other generation. We know that social media can amplify unrealistic appearance ideals and harmful health, body and beauty trends. It can also increase risks to mental health, self-esteem, and body image.

Taking steps to better protect young people online is critical. Delaying their age of access is one step, but continued advocacy to strengthen safeguards, clean up harmful content and build digital literacy skills remains urgent. Social media is continuously evolving, and content online remains heavily unregulated. It’s a complex issue and there won’t and can’t be a single action or simple fix.

What Young People Are Saying

This year I’ve returned to presenting body image education to secondary school students, and I’ve taken the opportunity to ask them, along with other young people in my life, how they feel about the incoming changes. Many are angry, but mostly confused:

“Will I get fined if I’m on social media?”

“Will my parents get fined”

“What about the lonely people?”

“TikTok is my life.”

“Why are we the ones being punished?”

And from one distressed Year 8 boy: “Will I still be able to call my mum?”

Their responses and genuine concerns highlight just how uninformed some young people are and how important social media is to many of them. It is why as adults it’s important that we help them to understand and approach this change with empathy and understanding.

What We Do and Don’t Know

From December 10th:

The Government’s social media legislation (the ‘ban’) comes into effect.
The eSafety Commissioner will oversee the legislation.
Platforms must take ‘reasonable steps’ to remove or prevent under-16s from creating accounts.
Age-restricted platforms will likely include Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, X, Snapchat and YouTube. View the latest list here

What we don’t yet know:

What ‘reasonable steps’ will look like across the various included platforms.
The immediate social, emotional, and behavioural impact on under-16s.
How many young people will still access platforms by circumventing age limits or how many already have and so will still have unchanged/unrestricted access.

As a parent, I’m well and truly in this, with a 12-year-old son who has no social media accounts and who currently has no desire to have them, and a 14-year-old daughter who has accounts on Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram.

I’ve been reading, researching and building my toolkit, which was already somewhat developed thanks to my work, but I’ll admit I’m still nervous.

I know these changes have the potential to be really challenging for my daughter, her friends and also their families. She says, ‘she thinks she’ll be ok’. As her parents, it’s our job to make sure she truly is and to remind her we’re on her team. If she’s not ok, we’ll try to acknowledge her feelings and bring in extra supports, for ourselves and/or our daughter if need be.

When the time comes and if you find it tough to relate to their feelings, I gently encourage you to think back to the pandemic, when imposed restrictions – for our safety – were emotionally challenging for so many people.

Our young people lived through that too, and online environments, group chats and social media platforms were introduced or relied upon more intensely at that time than any parent truly wanted. But for many they were also helpful. And now, for their safety, young people face more restrictions. So, if you’re not sure where to begin, leaning in with empathy and compassion is a great place to start.

Every Family, Child and Teenager is Different

You will know your child/teen best and so navigating this in the way that works for your relationship is always the right way. But here’s a few other ideas to help:

We listen, don’t judge. Create a space where your teen can express themselves freely.

Build your Toolkit with tips and tricks from trusted sources to help navigate the changes. I’ve compiled some suggestions below to get you started.

Talk about it. Ask what your teen knows and how they feel; share your own worries too.

Know the facts. Help them understand what’s changing and what’s not.

Re-establish new routines and start the wean! Encourage them to set their own limits, give them agency in this and support the establishing of new (social media free) routines.

Help them stay connected. Encourage saving photos from their platforms, accessing phone numbers of people they don’t see often and encourage them to find other ways to keep in touch with friends, on and offline.

Be realistic about what activities they will pick up and know they may feel loss, agitated, annoyed and bored. Give them permission to feel their feels.

Reassure them. Remind them they can do hard things, and you’re on their team.

Some young people rely on social media for health, fitness, or appearance-related content, and unfortunately, not all of it positive. This period could bring stress, mood changes, or shifts in eating and exercise habits. It may also highlight problematic behaviours that have been hiding in plain sight. Staying calm, being informed and being available for your teen in the way they need can help, as well as trusting your instincts and bringing in extra supports if you’re concerned.

Let’s Help Them Be BodyKind

At Butterfly, our message is simple: Be BodyKind. Being BodyKind is how we speak, move, nourish and nurture ourselves and our bodies. Online and offline. These messages have been extended to our new BodyKind Online Education program that helps young people strengthen their online safety and self-compassion skills. In this program, we use the acronym K.I.N.D. which is to Know, Identify, Nurture and Disrupt.

To help parents, including those with teenagers whose accounts will remain active, navigate these changes as positively as possible we can apply the acronym K.I.N.D too – because our young people need us to be KIND more than ever:

K – KNOW

The accounts and pages your teen follows and who is influencing their fashion, eating, training and other behaviours.
If they have accounts you’re not aware of (remember, we listen and don’t judge!) or if they’ve already bypassed age limits, decide your stance. Act accordingly and ‘pick your battles’. You know what will help your child best – act in the way that feels right for you.
The warning signs for body dissatisfaction or disordered eating and eating disorders.

I – IDENTIFY

Changes in their body image, mood, eating, or exercise behaviours.
Shifts in how they engage with school, sport, or friends and other activities.
If they are struggling to adjust to the changes and what coping strategies that are using. Are they helpful or harmful?

N – NURTURE

Acknowledge and validate their feelings. Avoid the “you’ll be right” or “it’s for your own good.”
Help to facilitate time and activities with their friends via other online environments as well as support the rebuilding of real-world connections.
Celebrate small wins and let them know you see all their efforts. Be kind to yourself too.

D – DISRUPT & DISTRACT

Show them that you’re in this with them by role-modelling healthy online and offline habits — put limits on your own apps and bring out activities that you enjoy. It might tempt your teen to join in, so try to find new or different activities to try together!
Keep developing their digital literacy and critical thinking skills, so they have the confidence to navigate all online environments and content in a BodyKind way – now and in the future.
Act early if you’re worried. Talk to them, write them a note, send them a text, chat with their school, GP, or reach out to Butterfly’s free National Helpline.

As we continue to work hard to reduce the harms of social media and better safeguard its content, let’s focus on building critical skills and compassion – in our young people, their friends and peers and our families.

As young people say, let’s ‘lock in’ – and help them through this in a BodyKind way.

Get Support

If you are concerned about the body image, eating or exercise attitudes or behaviours in your child, teen or anyone you love or care about, Butterfly is here to help. Call the Butterfly National Helpline on 1800 ED HOPE (1800 33 4673) or visit www.butterfly.org.au to chat online or email, 7 days a week, 8am-midnight (AEST/AEDT)

Call the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800