As Australia moves to restrict access to platforms like TikTok and Instagram for children under 16, we turned to the people balancing this change in real time: the caregivers in our team. At Portable, four colleagues working across psychology, service design, technology and production shared how they are navigating the shift at home. Their reflections offer insight into what this policy might achieve, what it leaves out, and how a more collaborative and inclusive approach could shape stronger outcomes for young people and their communities.
The big feelings about the ban
When we asked Portable caregivers how they felt about the social media ban, no one gave a simple answer. That, in itself, says a lot.
Some welcomed the policy as a long-overdue intervention. Others expressed concern about feasibility, equity, and unintended consequences. Many felt both at once. All were grappling with the same core question: what does responsible digital connection look like for children, and who gets to decide?
“I’m completely for the ban. It won’t solve everything, but it gives parents a reference point. I’m hoping more families say no, so it’s easier to hold the line together.”
- Kathryn, organisational psychologist
“I’m welcoming and conflicted. I see the dark side of social media, but I also see how it helps kids feel connected. It’s hard to draw a clean line.”
- Tess, senior producer
“I don’t care how feasible the implementation is. Even if all the ban does is make it easier for parents to say ‘no’, that’s still effective.”
- Tone, tech lead
“I’m grateful to see government stepping in. But my bigger concern is whether kids will still have safe and healthy ways to connect with their peers. That part matters just as much.”
- Sarah, service designer
Across all perspectives, one thing was clear; this is a policy made for children, but one that puts enormous pressure on caregivers to carry it forward. Portable’s work often starts with that exact tension. Policy can outline guardrails. But it’s thoughtful design, built with those most affected, that creates the scaffolding for lasting change.
How caregivers are adapting, with and without a ban
While the policy may be new, the dilemma it speaks to is not.
Every day, caregivers are already setting boundaries, negotiating screen time, and making judgement calls that sit somewhere between the ideal and the possible. The ban offers new language and legitimacy, but it doesn't erase the realities of parenting in a digital world.
“My eldest is allowed TikTok, but only to browse. They can’t post, and they only connect with people they know. We’ve set a 20-minute daily limit on their phone, but I’m sure they’re finding ways around it on their laptop. It’s a constant negotiation.”
- Kathryn, Organisational Psychologist
“My nine-year-old connects with friends through Messenger Kids. He doesn’t use TikTok or Instagram. I don’t have a specific age in mind for when he’ll be ready. I’ll be looking for signs that he’s secure, socially connected, and digitally literate — but we rarely get that luxury.”
- Sarah, Service Designer
“My child is eight and doesn’t know about most social platforms yet. He does play Roblox, and I let him use YouTube during the school holidays. He watches a lot of drawing tutorials. Some of it’s rubbish, but some of it’s genuinely educational. That’s where I’m conflicted.”
- Tess, Senior Producer
“My kids have very limited social media. My 12-year-old has a WhatsApp group with cousins, but she accesses it from my phone. My 14-year-old has Pinterest. That’s it.”
- Tone, Tech Lead
What’s visible in these stories is the real labour of digital caregiving. It’s less about enforcing rules, and more about constantly adapting them to the age, personality, and circumstances of each child. It’s a mix of vigilance, compromise, and trust.
Portable understands this complexity because we see it mirrored in policy and service design. Rules matter, but they only work when people have the support and flexibility to apply them meaningfully.
What a co-designed response could look like
Portable was not involved in the design of the social media ban.
But if we had been, the first step would have been obvious to us; talk to children and the people who care for them.
“I’m curious to know if any children were consulted. My guess is they weren’t. Portable would have made that the starting point — co-designing with those who are most affected.”
- Kathryn, Organisational Psychologist
“We would have worked directly with children, parents, educators and youth workers to explore what a safer digital world could actually look like. That’s how we approach every complex system we work in — by treating policy as something that can be designed, tested, and improved.”
- Sarah, Service Designer
Others in the team spoke to the need for clear communication, age-specific supports, and robust evaluation.
“A ban is a simple solution, and maybe that’s why it’s attractive. But it still needs strong reasoning behind it — and studies that actually measure what changes over time.”
- Tone, Tech Lead
“A 15-year-old and a five-year-old are completely different. Maybe the guardrails should be too. I don’t even know if that’s possible, but it’s the kind of thinking Portable encourages — flexible, layered, human.”
- Tess, Senior Producer
This is the kind of work Portable takes on every day. Not just launching policies, but asking better questions about them. Who is this for? Who was in the room when it was designed? What does good look like one year in, or five?
Co-design is more than a method. It is a way of building public systems that are accountable to the people they affect. If the ban is step one, a truly designed response is what comes next.
A ban isn’t a system, but it could be the start of one
Policy can set limits. Design creates possibilities.
At Portable, we see the ban as a moment of pause; an opportunity to listen, reflect, and design better systems of care around children’s digital lives. The voices of caregivers show just how complex this issue really is. It’s not about being for or against technology. It’s about designing environments where young people can build digital literacy, connect meaningfully and grow up safely with the support of adults, not just the restrictions placed on them.
A ban might make it easier to say no. But real change will come from the systems that help us say yes; yes to connection, yes to guidance, yes to platforms designed for wellbeing, and yes to co-designing with children from the beginning.
Need a hand with collaborative design?
We offer trainings, custom workshops, coaching - or even just a chat. Book in some time with us to talk through what you're facing and what success might look like.
Sign up to our email newsletter to get updates about our events, work and research
