Most children in Australia encounter social media well before they're old enough to have an account. According to the eSafety Commissioner, 84% of children aged 8–12 have used at least one social or messaging app. By ages 14–15, over 95% use YouTube and 80% or more are on Snapchat, Instagram, or Facebook.
For busy parents — especially those in public-facing roles — this creates a difficult balancing act. You want your children to develop digital skills and stay connected with friends, but you also need to protect them from real risks: predatory behaviour, cyberbullying, identity theft, and the long-term consequences of a digital footprint that starts before they can spell their own name.
This guide breaks down what you actually need to know and do. No scare tactics, just practical steps.
What the platforms actually collect
Before we talk about settings, it's worth understanding what happens when your child creates an account. Social media platforms collect far more than posts and photos:
- Location data — often precise GPS coordinates, tracked continuously if permissions are granted
- Device information — phone model, operating system, installed apps, battery level, Wi-Fi networks
- Browsing behaviour — every tap, scroll, pause, and search within the app, plus activity on other websites via tracking pixels
- Contact lists — if your child grants access, the platform maps their entire social network including people without accounts
- Biometric data — some platforms use face-mapping and voice patterns for filters and features
This data is used to build detailed advertising profiles. For children, whose sense of self is still forming, algorithmically targeted content can be particularly influential.
In November 2024, Australia passed the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act, making it the first country in the world to ban under-16s from holding social media accounts. The law took effect in December 2025, and in its first two weeks alone, platforms deactivated, removed, or restricted 4.7 million accounts. The responsibility is on platforms to enforce this, not on parents or children. France, Brazil, and Denmark have since announced similar measures.
Age-appropriate platform guidance
Not all platforms carry the same risks. Here's a realistic breakdown based on how children actually use them.
Under 10
At this age, children don't need social media accounts. If they want to communicate with friends or family online, supervised messaging apps (like those built into family plans) or platforms specifically designed for children are safer options. YouTube Kids, for example, has more restrictive content filtering than standard YouTube, though it's still imperfect.
Ages 10–13
This is the grey zone. Many children this age are on platforms despite the age requirements. If your child is already using social media, focus on:
- Setting accounts to private so only approved followers can see their content
- Turning off location sharing in every app
- Using screen time limits (built into both iOS and Android) to manage daily usage
- Having their account linked to a family plan where possible (Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube all offer parental supervision features)
Ages 13+
Most platforms allow accounts from 13. At this stage, the goal shifts from gatekeeping to coaching. Teenagers need to understand:
- That anything posted online can be screenshotted and shared permanently
- How to recognise and report suspicious messages or accounts
- That their profile information (school name, sports team, location tags) can be combined to build a detailed picture of their daily routine
- How to block and restrict users without escalating a situation
The privacy settings that actually matter
Every platform has dozens of privacy options. These are the ones worth prioritising on every platform your child uses:
- Set the account to private. On Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter/X, this means only approved followers can see posts. On Facebook, set the audience for all posts to "Friends only."
- Turn off location services for every social app. Go to your phone's system settings (not the app's settings) to ensure the app can't access GPS at all.
- Disable "suggested to others" features. Most platforms suggest your child's account to strangers based on phone contacts, location, or browsing. Turn this off wherever possible.
- Turn off read receipts and "last active" status. These features create social pressure and allow others to monitor when your child is online.
- Review third-party app permissions. Children often connect their accounts to games, quizzes, and other apps. Each of these gets access to profile data. Remove any that aren't actively used.
If your child experiences cyberbullying, inappropriate contact, or sees harmful content:
- Australia: Report to the eSafety Commissioner at esafety.gov.au — they can compel platforms to remove harmful content. The ThinkUKnow programme (thinkuknow.org.au), run by the Australian Federal Police for over a decade, focuses on preventing online child sexual exploitation and provides age-specific resources. They recommend creating a Family Online Safety Contract as a shared agreement with your child.
- UK: CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection) at ceop.police.uk
- US: National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) at missingkids.org/gethelpnow
- On the platform: Every major platform has in-app reporting. Use it — reports from within the app are typically actioned faster than external complaints.
Monitoring without breaking trust
There's a real tension between keeping children safe and respecting their developing independence. Heavy-handed surveillance (reading every message, demanding passwords) often backfires: children either find workarounds or stop communicating about problems.
A more sustainable approach:
- Start with openness. Explain that you monitor their online presence because public figures and their families face specific risks, not because you don't trust them. This is especially relevant if your family has any degree of public visibility.
- Use monitoring tools, not spyware. Screen time dashboards (Apple Screen Time, Google Family Link) give you usage patterns without reading private messages. Tools like Veil can monitor public mentions of your child's name across social platforms, catching potential problems without needing access to their accounts.
- Schedule regular check-ins. A five-minute conversation about what's happening online, done casually and regularly, is more effective than an annual interrogation.
- Make yourself the safe option. If your child encounters something upsetting online, they need to know they can come to you without being punished or having their phone confiscated. The goal is to be their first call, not their last resort.
For high-profile families: additional considerations
If you're an executive, public figure, or someone whose family might be specifically targeted, your children's social media use carries additional risks:
- Photo metadata reveals location. Ensure your child's phone strips EXIF data from photos before posting, or use a platform that does this automatically (most major ones now do, but third-party photo sharing sites may not).
- School and routine information posted publicly can be used for social engineering. A photo of your child in school uniform, tagged with a location, tells someone exactly where they'll be every weekday morning.
- Friend connections can be mapped. Even if your child's account is private, their friends' public accounts may tag them or mention them. Monitor your child's name across platforms, not just their own accounts.
- Impersonation is a real risk. Someone creating a fake account using your child's name and photos can be used for scams, bullying, or reputation damage. Regular name searches catch these early.
A practical starting checklist
You don't need to do everything at once. Start with these five actions today:
- Audit current accounts. Sit down with your child and review which platforms they're on, what their privacy settings are, and who follows them. Do this together, not as an ambush.
- Lock down location. Turn off location services for all social apps on every device in your household. This takes five minutes and eliminates one of the biggest risks.
- Set up family sharing. Both Apple and Google offer family plans that let you manage screen time and app downloads without needing to physically check your child's phone.
- Google your child's name. Search their full name, usernames, and any nicknames. If information appears that shouldn't be public, you know where to start.
- Set up monitoring. Use a service that watches for public mentions of your family members' names. Catching a problem early — whether it's bullying, impersonation, or a data leak — makes it far easier to resolve.
Online safety isn't a one-time conversation. It's an ongoing part of parenting in a digital world. The goal isn't to eliminate all risk — that's impossible — but to give your children the awareness and habits they need to navigate it safely.