Supporting students as social media changes – in a BodyKind way

As the implementation of social media legislation for under-16s draws closer, many young people are feeling confused, anxious and unsettled – and so are the adults who support them. While much of the public discussion has focused on parents and young people, teachers and school staff are on the frontline, witnessing and responding to the social and emotional impacts of these changes in schoolyards and classrooms.

Smartphones and social media have dominated young people’s lives, reshaping their adolescence, as well as our homes and classrooms. The influence on young people’s social and emotional development as well as their wellbeing and identity, is significant. 

Recent data from the Royal Children’s Hospital National Child Health Poll shows that nearly two thirds (63%) of teens get health information from social media, with fitness and diet among the most common topics (The Royal Children’s Hospital National Child Health Poll, 2025). Worryingly, over a third (42%) of teens have tried or considered trying something new after seeing it online. 

In Butterfly’s own BodyKind Youth Survey, 57% of respondents said social media made them feel dissatisfied with their body and 75% wished they were thinner/leaner (Butterfly Foundation, 2024).

This highlights just how powerful online content can be for impressionable and vulnerable young people.

The decision to delay access for under-16s is one step towards protecting young people from social media’s harms. But creating safe online environments is complex, and no single action will ever be enough.

Ongoing advocacy continues to target harmful content, improve in-app safeguards and strengthen community guidelines. The tangible, strength-based action for educators is to continue building students’ digital literacy and critical thinking skills, empowering them to navigate online environments in a safe, informed and confident way.

What we know (and don’t know) about the incoming changes

What we know:

  • The government’s new social media legislation (“age delay”) takes effect on 10 December 2025.
  • The eSafety Commissioner will oversee the legislation.
  • Platforms must take ‘reasonable steps’ to prevent account creation and deactivate or freeze accounts held by Australians under 16.
  • Platforms include TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube and Reddit (see full list online).

What we don’t know:

  • What this will actually look like across the affected platforms. 
  • How many young people will continue to have unrestricted access to platforms due to already having circumnavigated the minimum age.
  • What the immediate social and emotional impacts will be on young people and their friendship dynamics.

Every young person’s relationship with social media is unique. Their responses to these changes will vary widely – so being prepared for the mixed emotions across classrooms and cohorts is key.

What we’ve heard from young people and school staff

This year, returning to schools to deliver body image education – and through conversations as a mum and community sport volunteer – I’ve had the opportunity to talk to young people about the upcoming changes. Their responses reveal confusion, worry, and misinformation:

  • ‘Will I get fined — or my parents?’
  • ‘Why are we being punished?’
  • ‘TikTok is my life.’
  • ‘What will happen to my memories and friends?’
  • ‘What about people who are lonely?’

Speaking with teachers, some of whom are parents also, there has been a sense of relief but also genuine concern for students who might be ‘withdrawing’ during school hours, the impact on mood and engagement in their classrooms and the stressors placed on young people socially due to the inequities between those who can still access platforms and those who can’t. 

Educators know too well that home environments are diverse and some are worried for the potential conflicts amongst parents and teens, where these changes might spark or add further challenges to existing strained parent-child relationships. 

All of these emotions and concerns highlight how deeply social media is woven into young people’s daily lives and sense of self – and why they need calm, informed, non-judgemental adults around them right now.

How this connects to body image

For today’s adolescents, social media isn’t just entertainment – it’s part of their identity. It shapes how they communicate, connect, compare, and value themselves and others. 

While social media can be a source of creativity and belonging, it can also expose young people to unrealistic ideals, misinformation, and harmful comparisons.

At Butterfly, after nearly 2 decades of delivering body image education, we know that media and social media play powerful roles in shaping body image and mental health. 

Young people today are exposed to more appearance and health content than any generation before – much of it filtered, curated or misleading. Their self-worth can feel tied to likes, followers, and online validation, which can contribute to low self-esteem and disordered attitudes and behaviours toward eating, exercise, their body and appearance.

The role of educators

Teachers and wellbeing staff are uniquely positioned to support students through these changes. While schools can’t control what happens online, or within students’ home environments, they can provide a supportive and positive environment for fact-checking, discussion, reflection and connection.

Practical ways to help:

  1. Facilitate open, accurate conversations.
    Share the facts, acknowledge uncertainty, and create opportunities for respectful discussion in wellbeing or pastoral care time.
  2. Acknowledge feelings.
    Losing social media access may trigger anxiety or frustration. Validate students’ feelings. It’s okay to find this hard but also remind them that they can do hard things and they have support.
  3. Rebuild connection.
    Continue to encourage and provide the many offline activities that schools already offer students – clubs, sport, art, volunteering. This can help introduce interests and hobbies alongside a sense of belonging, connection and self-expression.
  4. Activate the student voice.
    Empower student leaders to drive conversations about digital wellbeing and body image or form a peer taskforce with passionate and interested students who can support others through the transition and guide school staff on what’s happening on the ground.
  5. Stay alert and act early.
    Be aware that times of change can bring shifts in mood, eating or exercise behaviours. Butterfly Foundation offers resources and the Butterfly National Helpline to support schools. Be kind and compassionate to yourself also.

Supporting digital literacy and body image – the BodyKind way

At Butterfly, our call to action is to be BodyKind – in how we speak, move, nourish and nurture ourselves and others, both online and offline.

Our BodyKind Online Education (BKOE) program, launched in 2025, helps strengthen students’ digital literacy, self-compassion and online safety skills. 

It uses the K.I.N.D. framework – Know, Identify, Nurture, and Disrupt which teachers can also apply when supporting their students through these social media changes:

  • K – Know: The facts about the changes and how students are feeling.
  • I – Identify: Shifts in mood, behaviour, social dynamics or participation that may arise.
  • N – Nurture: Foster a BodyKind classroom culture that values students for who they are, not how they look or how many followers they have.
  • D – Disrupt: Intervene early if concerned about a student’s wellbeing. Help them to challenge the harmful body and appearance values and messages that they will inevitably continue to be exposed to – on and offline.

As educators, you are trusted voices in young people’s lives. Your empathy, knowledge and calm guidance can make a profound difference as they adjust.

The online landscape will keep changing but one thing remains constant: every student deserves to feel safe, seen and valued, so they can thrive in their bodies and their lives.

References and related reading

Butterfly Foundation. (2024). BodyKind Youth Survey: https://butterfly.org.au/get-involved/campaigns/youthsurveyfindings/

The Royal Children’s Hospital National Child Health Poll (2025). A teen perspective: health messages and social media. Poll number 38, August 2025. The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria.

Further resources for schools and school staff:

Concerned about a student?

To share with parents and caregivers