Building real-world friendships may be key to protecting children from social media harms, experts argue

As Australia enforces strict social media age restrictions, child experts highlight the importance of early social skills and face-to-face friendships in safeguarding children’s mental wellbeing amidst digital pressures.

As Australia’s under-16 social media restrictions begin to bite, education and counselling specialist Madhavi Nawana Parker is arguing that the most durable protection for children may come not from limits on screen time alone, but from earlier lessons in how to build, sustain and repair real-world friendships. In her new book, “The Friendship Blueprint”, the CEO of Positive Minds Australia says children need stronger social intelligence before they are given access to the pressures and comparisons of digital platforms. “It’s urgent that we act now to nurture our children’s social intelligence and protect their future,” she said.

The timing of her warning is significant. Australia’s minimum-age rules for specified social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and others, took effect in December 2025 after parliament passed the Social Media Minimum Age Bill in November 2024. Government guidance says platforms must take reasonable steps to stop under-16s from creating or keeping accounts, with potential civil penalties of up to A$49.5 million for non-compliance. The eSafety Commissioner has published resources for families as the new regime is enforced.

Nawana Parker’s central claim is that emotional regulation, empathy, communication and conflict resolution are not merely social niceties but protective skills that shape how children later handle online life. She argues that young people who learn to notice and manage feelings, respect boundaries and recover from disagreements are less likely to anchor their self-worth to likes, followers or fleeting approval. In her view, face-to-face friendships give children the confidence and resilience to withstand the curated, often corrosive dynamics of social media.

That argument echoes broader child-development advice that social skills are foundational to mental wellbeing. The Kids Mental Health Foundation says teaching children how to make and maintain friendships can strengthen happiness and reduce loneliness and isolation, which are linked to a higher risk of depression. Nawana Parker also stresses that childhood friction should not be treated as failure, but as practice for adulthood: misunderstandings, exclusion and changing loyalties, handled with guidance, can help children learn empathy, compromise and trust before they meet similar pressures online.