Social media platforms had become a breeding ground for predators and bullies, and the mental health of children was in rapid decline due to their exposure to inappropriate content online.

Youth suicides and self-harm had increased significantly, as had the rate of eating disorders in children under 14. Sextortion had increased by 1,300%.

Children were suffering from addiction and sleep deprivation, and schools across the country were dealing with an explosion in online bullying, sometimes with devastating consequences.

Not enough was being done by the tech platforms or the government to protect our most vulnerable — our children.

We had to act.

A new approach

So, on May 19, 2024, News Corp launched the Let Them Be Kids campaign across all mastheads with the headline, “Losing a Generation.”

We exposed the physical, psychological, social, and emotional harm social media was inflicting on Australia’s children.

And we called on the federal government to put a stop to it by raising the age of access to social media to 16.

It was an ambitious ask — something that had not been done by any other country in the world.

But after six months of relentless reporting and lobbying, Australia passed world-leading laws banning children under 16 from social media platforms including Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook, YouTube, and X.

Under the laws, the tech giants would be required to identify underage users and close down their accounts. Failure to comply with the laws would result in the platforms facing fines of up to AUD$49.5 million.

The campaign achieved what News Corp set out to do but, significantly, also sparked a global movement on online safety, with dozens of countries looking to introduce similar laws — some, like France, Denmark and Indonesia, already have.

The power of a story

Critical to the success of this campaign was the parents who trusted us to tell their stories. These parents had suffered unimaginable loss — their children had fallen victim to social media and in some cases had ended their lives as a result.

Some of these parents had been advocating for a crackdown on the social media platforms for years. But their pleas had fallen on deaf ears.

Our campaign gave them a voice.

Soon after Let Them Be Kids launched, we took these parents, as well as health experts who helped inform the campaign, to the nation’s capital, where we facilitated high-level meetings with key politicians and together argued the case for change.

This was a defining moment in the success of the campaign.

And in announcing that the government would introduce social media laws, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it was these parents’ stories that compelled him to act. 

About kids, for kids

Let Them Be Kids was recognised at a special event at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025.

Mum Emma Mason — who had been part of our campaign from day one — was asked by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, on behalf of Let Them Be Kids, to be the keynote speaker at this momentous event.

Emma lost her daughter Matilda “Tilly” Rosewarne to suicide after a fake nude image was distributed via Snapchat to children on her school bus. Tilly tried to end her life that night — one of 11 attempts made before she tragically died. Tilly was only 15.

Emma’s speech and Tilly’s story were a powerful reminder to global leaders at the UN as to why Australia had introduced the world-leading laws.

A few weeks later, European Union President Ursula von der Leyen and Greek Prime Minister  Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who were present at the UN event, announced they would introduce similar bans.

Winning the battle 

The Social Media Minimum Age legislation passed through the Federal parliament. However, the law would not take effect for 12 months.

So while we had “won” the campaign, we didn’t walk away. We continued to report tirelessly on the harms to which Australia’s children were exposed. This was to ensure the government remained committed to the laws despite increasing political pressure both in Australia and overseas. On top of that, an election was looming.

Three days before the historic laws would take effect, News Corp mastheads produced a 12-page special edition wrap under the headline “Time to Save a Generation” — a nod to our first front page campaign, “Losing a Generation.”

That wrap took readers through how the laws came into effect and why; provided expert tips and advice on how parents and their children should prepare for the ban; and shared heartfelt letters from the Let Them Be Kids parents who had lost their children.

The wrap was heralded by Mr. Albanese during a press conference to mark the historic occasion on December 10:

“I’ve got to say that the tabloids on Sunday, that wraparound was the most powerful use of print media I have seen for a very long period of time ... a great deal of effort had gone into it,” he said.

As part of that special coverage, we produced a 13-minute documentary about the campaign.

Later that day, key landmarks in every Australian state, including the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge, lit up in our national colours, green and gold, in recognition of what had been achieved. The image was beamed around the world as a beacon for other countries to follow Australia’s lead, which they have.

Australia’s social media laws have led to 4.7 million underage accounts being shut down by the platforms since the ban came into effect.

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