Australia began banning children under the age of 16 from creating and holding social media accounts on 10 December 2025, implementing the world’s first legislation to impose a nationwide age restriction on social media use.
Although colloquially framed as a ‘ban’, in reality the legislation places an obligation on social media companies to ensure that all their users who hold accounts are over the age of 16. As a middle power in global internet governance, this marks a rare moment in which Australia has demonstrated significant international influence in the digital policy arena.
Beyond the extensive global media coverage of the ban, Australia’s policy has been closely watched and, in some cases, actively emulated by other countries, particularly across Asia. Malaysia, for example, plans to prohibit children under 16 from holding social media accounts in 2026. In addition, countries such as Indonesia, Singapore, South Korea, and Pakistan are also considering similar measures, with policymakers in several countries explicitly referring to Australia’s ban as a model for protecting young people online.
This symposium brings together a selection of scholars, policymakers, civil society organisations and industry experts from across the Asia-Pacific region, such as Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, and Vietnam, to discuss the historical development, current landscape, challenges, and future directions of regulating children’s use of digital media.
By doing so, it seeks to foster a cross-cultural and cross-national conversation on the increasingly prominent and contested issue of internet regulation for children.
Key questions we ask through this symposium include:
- Why does the idea of this kind of regulation appeal to politicians, society and visions for children?
- What kind of evidence counts and for whom in the discussions about regulation?
- What does this kind of legislation say about our societies’ attitudes towards children, childhood and children’s rights?
- What does the global movement around social media bans for children say about the wider conditions of national and international regulation of the internet?
- What are the likely trajectories for success and how is that defined in these movements?
- What are the roles of social science, children’s rights advocates and scholars of childhood in these debates?
- Are there distinctive features in social attitudes towards the internet in ‘Asian’ countries that might implement these legislations in a distinctive fashion?
Note that this event will be in-person and online. You can select your attendance type when ordering tickets. A Zoom link will be sent to online attendees closer to the event date.
In-person attendees are invited to a catered morning tea, lunch and networking drinks.
Program
| 9.00 – 9.15 | Welcome and introduction Professor Julian Sefton-Green |
| 9.15 – 10.00 | Keynote speech Professor Sun Sun Lim Singapore Management University Chair: Prof Crystal Abidin, Curtin University |
| 10.00 – 11.15 | Panel 1 – Internet governance and regulation for children Chair: Associate Professor Jian Xu Associate Professor Pauline Pooi Yin Leong, Sunway University Professor Florian Schneider, Leiden University Professor Usha Raman, University of Hyderabad Dr Viet Tho Le, Nguyen Tat Thanh University |
| 11.15 – 11.45 | Morning tea |
| 11.45 – 13.00 | Panel 2 – Digital literacy and citizenship of young people Chair: Dr Andy Zhao Dr Maša Popovac, Alannah & Madeline Foundation Professor Hyeon-Seon Jeong, Gyeongin National University of Education Dr Annisa Beta, University of Melbourne Professor Michael Dezuanni, Queensland University of Technology |
| 13.00 – 14.00 | Lunch |
| 14.00 – 15.00 | Panel 3 – Industry practices and standards Chair: Associate Professor Pauline Pooi Yin Leong, Sunway University Lingling Liang, Tencent Customer Service Minor Protection Centre Hazelyn Joy Bitaña, Child Rights Coalition Asia Professor Crystal Abidin, Curtin University |
| 15.00 – 16.00 | Panel 4 – Policymaking and the evaluation of success Chair: Professor Julian Sefton-Green Dr Yeon Ju Oh, National Information Society Agency, Korea John Livingstone, UNICEF Australia Jason Wee, Architects of Diversity, Malaysia |
| 16.00 – 16.30 | Concluding remarks and response Professor Julian Sefton-Green |
| 16.30 – 17.30 | Networking drinks |
Hosts
