Maisie Lloyd
Maisie is the Digital Content Manager at Intelligency, handling all things creative for the agency. Her experience centres around the production of digital content, pertaining to graphic design, writing copy, and video and audio content.
Calls to Ban Under-18s from social media
As of 2026, Australia has banned under-16s from social platforms in a bid to protect the younger generation from the harms of the internet. Which then resulted in a wider conversation globally about the suitability of children on social platforms.
With the alarm being raised across the world, around safeguarding measures that need to be taken. The UK government has announced a consultation regarding the matter, in a bid to put it to the House of Commons for more permanent action to be taken.
The kinds of arguments that are being put forward in the global discussion include:
- An increased risk of addiction to mobile phone use and social media platforms
- Exposure to harmful content online
- Exposure and an increased chance of exploitation by perpetrators online
- Vulnerability to scams, phishing and malware
- Direct impact on mental and physical health
How will this impact marketing to youth?
The implications of eliminating social media, a major advertising stream for brands, particularly those in youth marketing, are yet to be seen. If access is restricted or significantly reduced, marketing strategies will evidently need to adapt.
- Shrinking audiences
We expect to see a reduction in the size of the audience, with fewer young people being able to support brands’ online presence. This would require businesses to find new ways to reach their younger audience. Fewer people in a younger audience would mean:
- Engagement metrics reduce
- Reduced reach
- Smaller paid-advertising demographics to target
- Diminished influencer campaigns, with a real lack of impact
2. Disruption to brand affinity
A risk associated with banning under-18s from social media is that they may become disenfranchised from brands. This would not only limit their ability to interact with or purchase from brands in the short term but could also damage long-term relationships. In effect, businesses risk alienating prospective customers and losing a valuable future revenue stream.
Eliminating early brand exposure also reduces the opportunity for young audiences to build familiarity and trust. Without consistent touchpoints, campaigns may feel culturally distant or less relevant, leading to lower engagement and weaker brand affinity over time.
3. Shifting channel strategies
The tangible impacts of banning minors from social platforms could see sales across platforms like Instacart and TikTok shop significantly decrease. Social commerce may be the first to be affected, with direct access eliminated.
Where we may expect to see a shift is in avenues like YouTube, gaming devices, streaming services, TV ads and email campaigns. This could accelerate a move back toward owned media strategies, rather than relying so heavily on rented platform audiences.
Final thoughts
Rather than wait and see the implications of potential bans, brands can pre-empt and combat with simple tasks like auditing. Establishing demographics allows brands to identify how dependent they are on an under 18 customer base.
Diversifying acquisition channels ahead of any changes positions your brand at the forefront. Getting ahead of the competition and positioning yourself as one of the first is particularly useful when trying to establish authority.
In short, youth marketing may not disappear, but it will likely become more complex, less direct, and more relationship-driven.
