The Regulation of Children’s Use of Digital Media in the Asia Pacific

Australia began banning children under the age of 16 from creating and holding social media accounts on 10 December 2025, implementing the world’s first legislation to impose a nationwide age restriction on social media use.

Although colloquially framed as a ‘ban’, in reality the legislation places an obligation on social media companies to ensure that all their users who hold accounts are over the age of 16. As a middle power in global internet governance, this marks a rare moment in which Australia has demonstrated significant international influence in the digital policy arena.

Beyond the extensive global media coverage of the ban, Australia’s policy has been closely watched and, in some cases, actively emulated by other countries, particularly across Asia. Malaysia, for example, plans to prohibit children under 16 from holding social media accounts in 2026. In addition, countries such as Indonesia, Singapore, South Korea, and Pakistan are also considering similar measures, with policymakers in several countries explicitly referring to Australia’s ban as a model for protecting young people online.

This symposium brings together a selection of scholars, policymakers, civil society organisations and industry experts from across the Asia-Pacific region, such as Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, and Vietnam, to discuss the historical development, current landscape, challenges, and future directions of regulating children’s use of digital media.

By doing so, it seeks to foster a cross-cultural and cross-national conversation on the increasingly prominent and contested issue of internet regulation for children.

Key questions we ask through this symposium include:

• Why does the idea of this kind of regulation appeal to politicians, society and visions for children?

• What kind of evidence counts and for whom in the discussions about regulation?

• What does this kind of legislation say about our societies’ attitudes towards children, childhood and children’s rights?

• What does the global movement around social media bans for children say about the wider conditions of national and international regulation of the internet?

• What are the likely trajectories for success and how is that defined in these movements?

• What are the roles of social science, children’s rights advocates and scholars of childhood in these debates?

• Are there distinctive features in social attitudes towards the internet in ‘Asian’ countries that might implement these legislations in a distinctive fashion?

Note that this event will be in-person and online. You can select your attendance type when ordering tickets. A Zoom link will be sent to online attendees closer to the event date.

In-person attendees are invited to a catered morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea.

ZOOM DETAILS:

https://deakin.zoom.us/j/87245009034?pwd=k6wtNnHhqXvWbDlaDOi2WHBcJcE9t4.1

Meeting ID: 872 4500 9034Password: 46612330

9.00 – 9.15 Welcome and Introduction to the Day – Prof Julian Sefton-Green

9.15 – 10.00 Keynote speech – Prof Sun Sun Lim, Singapore Management University

Chair: Prof Crystal Abidin, Curtin University

10.00 – 11.15 Panel 1 – Internet governance and regulation for children

Chair: A/Prof Jian Xu

A/Prof Pauline Pooi Yin Leong, Sunway University

Prof Florian Schneider, Leiden University

Prof Usha Raman, University of Hyderabad

Dr Viet Tho Le, Nguyen Tat Thanh University

11.15 – 11.45 Morning tea

11.45 – 13.00 Panel 2 – Digital literacy and citizenship of young people

Chair: Dr Andy Zhao

Dr Maša Popovac, Alannah & Madeline Foundation

Prof Hyeon-Seon Jeong, Gyeongin National University of Education

Dr Annisa Beta, University of Melbourne

Prof Michael Dezuanni, Queensland University of Technology

13.00 – 14.00 Lunch

14.00 – 15.00 Panel 3 – Industry practices and standards

Chair: A/Prof Pauline Pooi Yin Leong, Sunway University

Lingling Liang, Tencent Customer Service Minor Protection Centre

Hazelyn Joy Bitaña, Child Rights Coalition Asia

Prof Crystal Abidin, Curtin University

15.00 – 16.00 Panel 4 – Policymaking and the evaluation of success

Chair: Prof Julian Sefton-Green

Dr Yeon Ju Oh, National Information Society Agency, Korea

John Livingstone, UNICEF Australia

Jason Wee, Architects of Diversity, Malaysia

16.00 – 16.15 Concluding remarks and response – Prof Julian Sefton-Green

16.15 – 17.00 Afternoon tea

• Professor Julian Sefton-Green, Deakin University

• Associate Professor Jian Xu, Deakin University

• Dr Andy Zhao, Deakin University