Social Media Ban for Teenagers: they access less news

Before the Social Media Ban was put in place in December 2025, among various concerns, was teenagers would consume less news.

1007 teenagers aged 10 -17 were surveyed in February 2026, only two months after the ban, but even in that short period, they reported they were getting less news and fewer opportunities to discuss issues that were important to them.

In parallel, ACARA researchers have found school students' civic knowledge is the lowest it's been in the 20 years of testing and that news interest engagement is closely associated with civic engagement.

But, reduced access to social media won't mean they turn to traditional sources. They suggest the key is trust and education. It's up to us to develop media literacy that highlights the link between the importance of news and the democratic process and, equally, to lobby news organisations to represent young people more often.

See the whole article in the conversation, here

Image: nothing to do with Social Media Ban, we just liked the image - Diamond Heist Workshop incursion, Sydney and surrounds.