A world-first social media ban for children under the age of 16 starts on December 10, which is also around the same time school holidays kick off for some families.
"It's difficult timing," says Catherine Page Jeffery, a senior lecturer and researcher in media and communications at the University of Sydney.
Meta has already begun removing accounts. And while Dr Page Jeffery says it's not exactly clear what the ban will look like or how it will work, platforms including Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat could face fines of up to $49.5 million if they fail to take reasonable steps to block young users from this date.
It means kids under 16 may find themselves with less social media access during the summer break.
We asked the experts how to best support kids through the transition while helping them stay connected and busy.
Don't dismiss kids' feelings on the ban
Although parents and carers appear largely supportive of the ban, children are not as pleased, says Dr Page Jeffery.
"No huge surprises there. All the young people I have spoken to are not happy about it."
Social media and screen time is already a source of conflict for many families, Dr Page Jeffery says, so the ban will be tricky for some families to navigate.
She says a lot of the tension comes from parents not understanding the importance of digital media in young people's lives.
"Parents respond to the media narrative which largely focuses on risk, and they try to talk about their concerns around media use with their kids, and young people feel their parents don't understand the value it has in their lives and what they are doing with it."
Teens from certain groups, such as those living remotely or with disabilities, are particularly worried about the ban.
Dr Page Jeffery says parents should acknowledge it might be hard for their children.
"For so many young people, this is their source of connection with their peers."
"Hopefully they can set up other ways to connect with friends … but young people have these established platforms where they have groups, and they communicate with each other."
Zena Burgess, CEO of the Australian Psychological Society, says while parents are "generally feeling relieved" about the ban, they are worried how it will affect their children.
"There is a fear of sudden disconnection, and fear kids will feel isolated and anxious.
"There are concerns from some parents that their child may experience withdrawals — some young people have an addiction to social media."
Help kids plan for the ban
Dr Burgess says the first step parents should take is to talk openly with their children about the ban.
"Ask about their feelings on it, and what they will do to manage it themselves.
"Help them come up with ideas … rather than saying 'You should do this or that'."
Parenting expert Justin Coulson has six children, two of whom are aged under 16.
He says parents should remember kids can still be on screens.
"Kids can still play games, be on various websites, and have access to public content on these [banned] pages."
On YouTube, for example, under-16s can still browse the platform without an account.
Or they can have an account on YouTube Kids, a significantly stripped-back version that requires a parent to set it up for them.
Dr Coulson has been helping his 15-year-old daughter, who has some social media, prepare for the ban.
"Our 15-year-old recognised being upset about this is futile and has moved very quickly through the stages of grief and is now at acceptance."
Dr Coulson says his daughter has been slowly deleting apps in the lead-up, to "wean herself" over time.
"We have been helping her get access to files that are important to her, because she will lose all of that."
TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and most other platforms offer the option to download your data.
A data download (sometimes called a "data checkout" or "export") includes things like photos and videos you've uploaded, messages and comments, and friend lists and interactions.
"She's swapped numbers with friends, and they know they can text [instead of communicating on apps]," Dr Coulson says.
Other ways to connect — and keep busy
Dr Page Jeffery also has two daughters aged under 16 and she's been supporting them to find other ways of connecting with their friends.
But she will be watching closely to see what platforms children use to connect with instead.
"One of the potential risks here is young people migrate to other spaces online that are not covered by the ban and are potentially less regulated or less visible.
"And young people might do it in a more secretive way."
Dr Page Jeffery says parents should remain vigilant and continue to talk about digital practice with their kids.
Dr Coulson says screen-time management won't go out the window with the ban.
"This legislation doesn't mean parents can abdicate their parental responsibility to give children an enriching environment and unstructured time away from screens."
Parents with children who rely on online spaces to make connections, such as those located in remote areas, will have to "step up" even more, he says.
"The onus is on parents to build that alternative environment that is supportive."
Dr Burgess says while school holidays can be a juggle, especially for working parents, the ban may encourage more face-to-face connection.
"Many young people have used social media because it's scary and hard to make social contact in person.
"It's an opportunity to support our kids in doing that."
She suggests planning outdoor activities and catch-ups with friends.
"Invite [kids' friends] over, and often parents will return the favour."
Dr Coulson says extra screen time during the holidays isn't a bad thing, if there is balance.
"Do I have problem with a kid having a couple of couch days? No. What I'm interested in is do they have a life? Are they with friends? Moving their bodies? Actively engaging in living?"
Dr Page Jeffery says screen time is only really a problem when it's excessive, and parents will be able to judge what is too much based on their child.
She warns we need to be careful about "this nostalgic idea" of what a childhood should be.
"We have this adult-imposed view of what a good childhood looks like.
"Young people do lots of things online. It's not all social media.
"We can't assume that when we take away social media, young people will suddenly go out and do all of the things we hope they are going to do."
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