Australia has launched a multimillion-dollar marketing campaign that depicts its world-first ban on social media for teenagers as "for the good of our kids" ahead of its December start date.
The A$14 million ($9.05 million) campaign, titled “For The Good Of”, will roll out across TV, billboards, and “ironically” social media starting Sunday, Communications Minister Anika Wells said on Tuesday.
Wells said the campaign aims to spread awareness about the changes coming for families, encouraging parents to “start having conversations” about the ban with their children.
"It's called For The Good Of, and it means for the good of our kids. We’re doing these things, ultimately, for the good of young people in Australia,” she told reporters.
The 45-second video shows a number of children absorbed in their phones while a voiceover says: “For the good of Kirsty, for the good of Lucy and Anya, for the good of Sam, for the good of Holly, for the good of Noah, for the good of their wellbeing.”
It then adds: “From December 10, people under the age of 16 will no longer have access to social media accounts. It’s part of a new law to keep under-16s safer online.”
Australia's ban was passed into law in November 2024 and aims to delay teens' ability to set up social media accounts from the current age of 13 until the age of 16.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's centre-left government said research showed the over-use of social media was harming young teens, including causing misinformation, enabling bullying and harmful depictions of body image.
Governments around the world are closely watching Australia's implementation of the ban, while social media platforms have pushed back on it.
In a parliamentary hearing on Monday, YouTube said the programme could have "unintended consequences" and would be “extremely difficult” to enforce. The Alphabet-owned video-sharing site has also flagged taking legal action against its inclusion in the ban.
Wells, the communications minister, said she was meeting with social media platforms this week, including Meta, TikTok and Snapchat, to "re-enforce the government’s expectation about how they will enforce the law".
"I am confident they understand their obligations under Australian law and they will deliver upon their obligations," she said.
Schools across Cambodia and Thailand were forced to close on Monday as border clashes between the two countries escalated, with the death toll reachin...
Police in Providence are going door to door for home surveillance footage as the hunt continues for the shooter who killed two Brown University studen...
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy engaged in high-level talks in Berlin from December 14 to 15, 2025, with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, U.S...
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine” after talks in Berlin, stressing that decisions on...
Türkiye aims to increase its trade with Turkic states to $60 billion in the medium term and $100 billion in the long term, President Recep Tayyip Erd...
Schools across Cambodia and Thailand were forced to close on Monday as border clashes between the two countries escalated, with the death toll reaching at least 40 and hundreds of thousands of people displaced, according to officials and local media.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy engaged in high-level talks in Berlin from December 14 to 15, 2025, with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, U.S. envoys, and European leaders, focusing on security guarantees and the framework for a potential peace deal with Russia.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine” after talks in Berlin, stressing that decisions on Ukraine’s future and territorial issues must be taken by Kyiv itself.
Türkiye aims to increase its trade with Turkic states to $60 billion in the medium term and $100 billion in the long term, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced on Monday.
Russia’s human rights commissioner, Tatyana Moskalkova, has said that Ukraine has not provided Moscow with a list of thousands of children it alleges were taken illegally to Russia, despite the issue being discussed during talks in Istanbul.
An explosive device found in a vehicle linked to one of the alleged attackers in Bondi shooting has been secured and removed according to Police. The incident left 12 people dead.
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa has offered condolences to President Donald Trump following an ISIS attack near the ancient city of Palmyra that killed two U.S. soldiers and a civilian interpreter, Syrian and U.S. officials said Sunday.
At least 17 people, including students, were killed and 20 others injured after a school bus fell off a cliff in northern Colombia on Sunday, authorities said.
At least 14 people have died and 32 others were injured after flash floods swept through Morocco’s Atlantic coastal city of Safi on Sunday, authorities said.
Ford Motor Company said on Monday it will take a $19.5 billion writedown and scrap several electric vehicle (EV) models, marking a major retreat from its battery-powered ambitions amid declining EV demand and changes under the Trump administration.
Schools across Cambodia and Thailand were forced to close on Monday as border clashes between the two countries escalated, with the death toll reaching at least 40 and hundreds of thousands of people displaced, according to officials and local media.
Police in Providence are going door to door for home surveillance footage as the hunt continues for the shooter who killed two Brown University students and injured seven others. Authorities have released fresh video and say a detained "person of interest" is now free.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy engaged in high-level talks in Berlin from December 14 to 15, 2025, with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, U.S. envoys, and European leaders, focusing on security guarantees and the framework for a potential peace deal with Russia.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine” after talks in Berlin, stressing that decisions on Ukraine’s future and territorial issues must be taken by Kyiv itself.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment