Disabled young people unfairly locked out by Australia's social media ban, CYDA warns UN delegates
Children and Young People with Disability Australia (CYDA)
On the six-month anniversary of Australia’s social media age restrictions, new pulse data reveals some disabled young people over 16 are being erroneously blocked from accessing their accounts.
The peak national body for children and young people with disability in Australia is in New York this week to share its findings with international counterparts at the 19th Conference of State Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (COSP19)
Children and Young People with Disability Australia’s (CYDA) youth delegate Rosie Putland addressed the Conference at the United Nations Headquarters this morning.
“The restrictions appear to have created new barriers for disabled young people who have a right to participate, while doing little to prevent access for those they were intended to restrict,” she told attendees.
“Our research, conducted six months after the restrictions came into effect, found that… 76% [of disabled young people aged 16 to 25] experienced accessibility barriers during verification.”
“If we are serious about representation, leadership and civic engagement, we cannot continue building digital public spaces that disabled young people must fight to enter.”
CYDA’s survey heard from 118 disabled children and young people, and parents or caregivers of children with disability under 16.
While nearly one in four people aged 16 to 25 reported being blocked from platforms by inaccessible verification technology, 95% of under-16s with disability were still accessing social media.
The results also showed that:
- No one under-16 reported feeling safer online
- One in two (48%) of under-16s reported feeling isolated or lonely
- Across all groups, roughly 80% described the restrictions as not fair or not meeting the needs of children and young people with disability
CYDA CEO Skye Kakoschke-Moore said the findings reflected what families have been telling the organisation for months: that the ban disproportionately harms children and young people with disability.
“Social media has long been a lifeline for children and young people with disability, providing one of the few truly accessible ways to build connections and find community,” she said.
“But rather than making this space safer, the ban is only isolating under-16s with disability further or creating unwieldy roadblocks for legal adults.
“What’s needed is for the government to push for accessible verification systems, develop inclusive community spaces and supports for young people, and hold tech companies to account to regulate their own harmful algorithms.”
In passing the Social Media Minimum Age (SMMA) Act in December last year, Australia became the first country in the world to restrict under-16s from holding accounts on popular platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
CYDA’s appearance at COSP19 comes as other countries begin considering bans of their own, with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer preparing to announce a crackdown on children’s access to social media in the coming days.
Find out more about CYDA’s advocacy on the ban here.
Watch CYDA delegate Rosie Putland’s speech at the UN here.
The following individuals are available for interviews:
- CYDA CEO Skye Kakoschke-Moore
- Case studies, including young people with disability and families or caregivers
About us:
Children and Young People with Disability Australia (CYDA) is a not-for-profit community organisation. We are the peak organisation representing the rights and interests of children and young people with disability (aged 0-25) in Australia.
Contact details:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (03) 9417 1025 | Mobile: (+61) 0426 815 627 (David Kavanagh)