'Double-edged sword': How Aussie content creators are reacting to the under-16 social media ban

Australia's under-16 social media ban is one of the most significant regulatory shifts the creator economy has faced, and the industry's reaction has been anything but settled. When 9News reached out to content creators & agencies across the country ahead of the December 10 deadline, the responses ranged from genuine concern to creative pragmatism. Our Head of Brand and Partnerships, Rachael Webb, was among those asked to weigh in.

Webb's position reflects how we've been approaching this moment internally: not as a crisis, but as a recalibration. Under-16s have long been a force in driving trends and virality online, even if their direct purchasing power sits further down the funnel. The legislation doesn't erase youth influence; it delays when young audiences can legally participate. That distinction matters enormously for how brands and creators should be thinking about their strategies right now.

The more immediate challenge is one of data. Influencer marketing has become a metrics-driven discipline, and when a significant portion of a creator's audience is removed or restricted overnight, engagement figures will shift. That's not catastrophic, but it does require honest analysis. Creators who understand their audience composition and proactively test new content angles will be far better positioned than those waiting to see what happens.

The ban also surfaces a harder truth: much of the industry has been operating without a clear picture of who, exactly, is in the audience. This is a prompt to get that clarity, and to build creator strategies on foundations that are both more durable and more transparent. Read the full piece over on 9News here.