FCA Briefing on Australia’s Social Media Ban
Words – Barbara Barkhausen, Photos – Raj Suri
FCA Briefing discussed Australia’s social media ban for children under 16, which comes into effect on 10 December 2025. This briefing included a Q&A session where correspondents posed questions directly to the experts.
- Professor Terry Flew – Co-Director, Centre for AI, Trust and Governance, University of Sydney
Professor Flew is Co-Director of the Centre for Aritificial Intelligence, Trust and Governance (CAITG). CAITG is a Flagship Centre of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences with Sydney Law School, Sydney Business School, and School of Architecture, Design and Planning.
He is the author of 16 books, including Regulating Platforms, SAGE Handbook of the Digital Media Economy, Understanding Global Media, Politics, Media and Democracy in Australia, Media Economics and Global Creative Industries. In 2024 he commenced an ARC Laureate Fellowship for a five-year project on Mediated Trust: ideas, Interests, Institutions, Futures. - Dr Catherine Page Jeffery – Lecturer in Media and Communications, University of Sydney
Dr Catherine Page Jeffery is a lecturer and researcher in the Discipline of Media and Communication at the University of Sydney. Catherine’s current research addresses digital media and families, with a particular focus on parenting in the digital age. Building on more than a decade of professional experience within the public and research sector, Catherine undertook a PhD at the University of Canberra examining parental anxieties about digital media.
Topics covered including Q & A.
Implementation and enforcement of the age restrictions
Global significance and potential international impact
Age verification challenges, privacy and data security concerns
Perspectives from young people and parents
Long-term implications for digital policy and platform power
