If you’re under 16 and running a small business, here are some expert tips to help you navigate the impact of the new social media age restrictions.
Effective 10 December 2025, the Federal Government’s social media restrictions for under 16s also apply to young entrepreneurs who can no longer reach their audience through social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.
If this affects you, we’ve gathered advice from Jordan Lomax, digital marketing expert and founder of The Social Lab, on how you can stay on track with your business. If you haven’t already, you may want to read Jordan’s tips for small business owners navigating these changes.
Get support from your trusted adults
According to Jordan, having a parent or guardian manage your business account may allow your brand to maintain a social media presence.
“Talk to your parents or guardians about working with them to manage your socials related to your business. You’ll still have to follow the social use guidelines, which means you can have input into what goes on there, but your parent or guardian will have to be the one managing the account and accessing social media.”
Update your website
Jordan notes that if you’ve relied solely on social media to communicate with customers, now is the time to change that.
“Make sure your website is as optimised as possible. Be clear about what you sell, why you exist, how to buy and how to contact you. If you’ve been relying on social media to sell products or services, now is the time to upgrade your website so it becomes your main checkout platform.”
Consider partnerships
“Depending on what you sell, you may be able to partner with local businesses to spread the word about what you do,” says Jordan. “For example, if you sell a product, there might be a local store who could stock your product and help you market it.”
Reinvest the hours you used to spend on socials
Jordan encourages young business owners to focus on the quality and uniqueness of your products and services.
“If you’re no longer able to use social media, take that time and instead funnel that into really perfecting what you’re selling. Make it the best you can. You’d be surprised how well word of mouth still works, so create a product or service that people really want to talk about.”
Step into the spotlight
Jordan sees these age restrictions as a great public relations (PR) opportunity.
“Think about creating more PR moments through local newspapers, magazines or online publications. People tend to LOVE young business owners and entrepreneurs and I think they’ll really get around them at this time knowing the impact it’s going to have on a young business owner. So use that to your advantage and try to get others to share your story for you.”
She also recommends joining community events:
“Consider hosting or joining community events where possible such as markets, local groups or school-related events – you might be surprised how well it goes from a sales perspective.”
Rethink the way you measure success
While going viral or gaining thousands of followers might look like success, Jordan recommends focusing on what matters most: Sales.
“A lot of the time, going viral doesn’t actually result in sales. Focus on the sales and revenue side rather than the big fun numbers like followers and views in 2026. For example, a market stall where you can sell a lot of product in one day could be much better for your business than 10,000 views on a TikTok!”
“In my opinion, young people are natural marketers - they just need to do it in another format now!”
Find out more
Read Jordan’s general tips for small business owners navigating the social media age restrictions.
To learn more about the social media age restrictions, explore these pages from the eSafety Commissioner:
