The Australian Government’s proposed legislation to restrict social media access for people under 16 risks seriously harming Australia’s disabled young people.
Children and Young People with Disability Australia (CYDA) joins other disability advocacy organisations in opposing the blanket ban outlined in the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024.
Instead, it calls for a nuanced approach that respects young peoples’ human rights to inclusion, expression, and access to information.
“Social media can be a lifeline for young people with disability, providing one of the few truly accessible ways to build connections and find community,” said CYDA CEO Skye Kakoschke-Moore.
“Cutting off that access ignores the lived reality of thousands and risks isolating disabled youth from their peer networks and broader society.”
Social platforms offer young people with disability a way to meet, express their identities, combat loneliness, and engage in advocacy.
They are vital for those who cannot connect in person, including people who are immunocompromised and with disability still unable to safely access many physical spaces due to the ongoing risks posed by COVID-19.
For 25-year-old Isabella Choate, interim CEO of the Youth Disability Advocacy Network (YDAN), social media offered a way to reconnect with peers after becoming housebound due to chronic illness.
“[Social media] is a space for community building… and the main way our cohorts receive information on the rapid changes currently happening in the disability sector,” they said.
“Many of [YDAN’s] members have turned to social media to platform their voices, advocacy work, and businesses – without the general public as an audience, youth voices will be silenced in spaces they already have a hard time accessing.”
According to a recent report by the eSafety Commission, seven in 10 young people with disability say it is easier to be themselves online compared to 59% of non-disabled youth, while one in four use it to make friends weekly.
CYDA has serious accessibility concerns about the proposed legislation’s proof of age requirements.
Many government tools for identification verification remain inaccessible, disproportionately excluding those who cannot provide specific standardized forms of ID, such as a driver’s licence.
These barriers, combined with a ban’s potential infringement on the human rights of freedom of expression, access to information, and privacy, highlight the need for a more inclusive approach.
CYDA CEO Skye Kakoschke-Moore said fostering digital literacy and holding social media companies accountable would be more effective in preventing online harm.
“Young people with disability are exposed to harmful content more often than their non-disabled peers, but limiting access is not the answer,” she said.
“Instead, the government should focus on providing young people with the tools and education to navigate digital spaces safely.
“It should also continue to pursue avenues for placing the legal duty of care on social media companies themselves. They must be held accountable.”
For more information or further comment, please contact CYDA:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (03) 9417 1025
