Note from the Editor

Hi,

As the year draws to a close, I wanted to say a huge thank you for caring enough about children's digital safety to be a member of this community. I started the newsletter because so many parents seemed to be flying blind when it came to protecting, managing or holding off on their children's digital lives.

The truth is there's no right or wrong answer—everyone's children, family, values and boundaries are different. But having the knowledge about what's happening with Big Tech, what new controls platforms are installing and what countries are doing gives parents the power to make informed decisions with confidence.

This year has been extraordinary. Not just because of what happened—Australia banning under-16s from social media, thousands of schools going phone-free, countries finally holding gaming platforms accountable—but because of the conversations we've been having together. The parents who've shared their stories. The communities organising. The shift from feeling powerless to actually doing something.

That's the story worth celebrating: we're not fighting this alone anymore. And we're making a difference. ✨

For this final Plugged In of 2025, I wanted to step back and look at just how much changed this year; real, tangible progress in making the digital world safer for our children.

We'll be logging off for the rest of 2025 to take our own digital break and step away from our screens to enjoy time with friends and family IRL (!). We'll see you back in your inboxes on Thursday, 8th January 2026. 🎄

Until then, look up from your screens, savour the small moments and have a wonderful break. ☃️

❤️ Warmest of wishes, Heidi ❤️

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Australia passed the world's first social media ban for under-16s. Five more countries announced they're following suit.

Thousands of schools went phone-free and saw immediate improvements.

Parents organised collectively instead of struggling alone.

The conversation fundamentally shifted from "should we do something?" to "what works?"

US states started enforcing new laws. Florida's survived court challenges, a rare win against Big Tech. But courts blocked laws in Arkansas and Ohio, citing free speech concerns.

The score: Over 45 states introduced 300+ pieces of legislation. The legal whack-a-mole continues, but momentum hasn't slowed.

Edinburgh went phone-free in May using Yondr pouches with students lock their phones at the start of each day.

By July, UK schools with phone bans reported stunning results:

By year's end, every English school surveyed had phone restrictions in place.

The evidence became overwhelming: phone-free schools work.

France's President Macron announced plans to ban under-15s after a fatal school stabbing where social media was implicated:

"Mobile phones and social media are stealing our children's childhood. We cannot wait."

France, Spain, and Greece jointly pushed EU-wide measures at the Council of Telecommunications Ministers.

Toyoake City introduced a non-binding ordinance recommending two-hour daily screen time limits for all residents, adults and children.

Elementary students: no phones after 9pm. Older students: 10pm.

Critics called it "meaningless" without penalties, but it reflects Japan's cultural preference for self-regulation over government mandates.

France's parliamentary commission released sweeping recommendations after hearing testimony from families whose children died by suicide:

Meanwhile, New York released rules for its SAFE for Kids Act, targeting algorithmic feeds rather than banning access entirely.

Denmark announced plans for an age 15 ban on 8 October. By 7 November, they formalised it with broad political support.

Digital Affairs Minister Caroline Stage: "94% of Danish children under 13 already have social media profiles—more than half of those under 10. The amount of violence, self-harm that they are exposed to online is simply too great a risk."

Then:

The ban took effect.

Platforms must prevent under-16s from creating or keeping accounts on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, X, YouTube, Reddit, Threads, Twitch, and Kick.

Fines: Up to AU$49.5 million (US$32 million) Penalties for kids/parents: Zero. Platforms are accountable.

YouTube's response captured the contradictions: they complied while arguing their platform is unsafe for logged-out viewing (which is all under-16s are now permitted).

Minister Anika Wells shot back: "If YouTube is reminding us all that it is not safe... that's a problem that YouTube needs to fix."

The evidence is overwhelming. Schools that went phone-free reported:

When entire school communities moved together, the pressure flipped. Parents gained "the security to say no," as Denmark's minister put it.

Councils like Barnet and Enfield in the UK coordinated bans across dozens of schools simultaneously showing that collective action works.

Australia's Age Assurance Technology Trial proved it works.

Norway's BankID showed how national digital identity systems can verify age while preserving privacy.

The Age Verification Providers Association completed over one billion age checks in 2025 demonstrating it's technically feasible, scalable and can protect privacy.

New York's approach targeting addictive algorithmic feeds (not banning access) may better survive constitutional challenges.

By focusing on how platforms manipulate behaviour rather than restricting speech, it addresses the free speech concerns that doomed other state laws.

Before 2025: "Should we do something about children and social media?"

After 2025: "What specific measures work, and how do we implement them?"

Individual parents struggled to say no when every other child had a smartphone but when entire WhatsApp groups, school communities, or councils moved together, everything changed.

The Smartphone Free Childhood movement in the UK, parent pacts in the US, coordinated school policies showed that collective action transforms the landscape.

The harm became impossible to ignore:

But alongside the harms data came evidence that interventions work. UK schools saw immediate improvements. Australia's trial proved verification was feasible. Parents reported children were happier off the comparison treadmill.

And platforms' voluntary measures? France filed criminal complaints against TikTok for lying to parliament. Research showed 7-8 year-olds creating accounts despite age 13 minimums. As France's AI Minister Clara Chappaz put it: "We need to go further."

📅 1 January: Malaysia's ban takes effect

📅 Q1: New York's SAFE for Kids Act rules finalised

📅 Mid-year: Norway's age 15 ban, Utah's App Store Accountability Act

📅 Throughout: EU age verification app rollout across five countries

And the question everyone's asking: Does Australia's ban actually work? Can it be enforced? Do kids find workarounds? The world is watching closely.The world is watching closely.

✅ You're not alone—parent groups and school communities are organising everywhere

✅ Talk to other parents about pushing for clear phone policies at school

✅ Find your tribe: Smartphone Free Childhood, local WhatsApp groups, parents at school

✅ Keep advocating for phone-free schools as the evidence is clear

2025 was the year the world stopped accepting the status quo.

🇦🇺 Australia said: under-16s don't belong on social media

🌍 Five more countries said: we're next

🏫 UK schools said: phones don't belong in classrooms

🇺🇸 New York said: algorithmic manipulation of children stops

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Parents everywhere said: we're not doing this alone anymore

The platforms spent millions fighting it and for the most part, they lost.

The story we'll be watching most closely in 2026: Australia's under-16 social media ban went live December 10th. We'll bring you the first comprehensive analysis in our January 8th edition.

2025 was the year we stopped talking. 2026 will show us if it's working.

Thank you for being part of Plugged In this year. We've covered a lot together, from Australia's historic ban to school phone policies to the research showing what actually works.

Here's to 2026 being the year we keep the momentum going.

What was your biggest takeaway from 2025? What are you watching for in the new year?

I'd love to hear from you so hit reply and let us know.

If you've never introduced your children to NORAD Tracks Santa, this Christmas Eve is the perfect time to start. Since 1955, the North American Aerospace Defense Command has been tracking Santa's journey around the world—and it all started with a misprint.

A Colorado Springs Sears store printed a newspaper ad inviting children to call Santa. The phone number was wrong, and calls went instead to the Continental Air Defense Command (NORAD's predecessor). The colonel on duty that night quickly realised the mistake and assured the children he was tracking Santa. The tradition stuck.

How to Track Santa This Year:

Starting December 1st, the countdown begins at www.noradsanta.org

On Christmas Eve at 4am EST (9am GMT), live tracking begins with:

Multiple Ways to Follow:

Google also tracks Santa at santatracker.google.com with additional games and activities.

The tracker works across all devices, so whether you're on desktop, tablet, or phone, you can follow Santa's progress as he delivers gifts to homes around the globe. In 2024, NORAD tracked Santa delivering over 8.1 billion gifts.

For families with young children, it's become a beloved Christmas Eve tradition, checking in throughout the day to see where Santa is and calculating when he might arrive at your house. Just remember: he only stops at houses where children are asleep!