Beyond the Policy: The Under-16 Social Media Rules and What We’re Seeing in Care
Chris Oliveira • February 16, 2026
By Sue Healy | Talent Quarter Thought Leadership Series
Australia’s new social media restrictions for under-16s, introduced in late 2025, are one of the most significant shifts we’ve seen in the youth digital landscape in years.
Like many changes designed to protect young people, the intent is absolutely sound. Reducing exposure to cyberbullying, harmful content, and unhealthy online behaviours is something most of us would support.
But whenever we see major social shifts affecting young people, I believe it’s important to pause and consider the human impact - not just the policy outcome.
Because for many young people today, social media isn’t simply entertainment. It is connection. It is identity. It is belonging. And for some young people - particularly those who may already feel isolated, vulnerable, or different - it can also be a lifeline to peer support and community.
So when access to that changes, emotions and behaviours often change with it.
What this shift may look like on the ground
In the youth, disability, and community sectors, we know that policy changes rarely land neatly. They land in real homes, real services, and real lives. And when a young person experiences frustration, anxiety, confusion, or anger in response to change, the people who often sit closest to that experience are support workers. At Talent Quarter, we see these moments play out through the workforce who support young people every day. Our on-hired staff build trusted relationships with the children and young people they care for. They’re often the ones having the real conversations - helping young people make sense of change, manage big feelings, and stay safe through uncertainty.
These are not small moments. They’re moments that shape stability, trust, and wellbeing.
Supporting young people starts with supporting the workforce
I’ve always believed that if we want to improve outcomes for the people receiving care, we must equally focus on supporting the people delivering it. This shift highlights just how important it is that staff feel informed, confident, and supported in the environments they work in. When they do, the quality of care, connection, and stability for young people improves naturally. And when they don’t, the pressure doesn’t disappear - it simply moves somewhere else. It lands on workers, teams, services, and ultimately on the young people themselves. Workforce wellbeing and community wellbeing are deeply connected. You can’t have one without the other.
There is also an opportunity here
Periods of disruption can be difficult, but they also create space for meaningful conversations.
Conversations about:
- digital wellbeing
- resilience
- healthy connection
- identity
- and confidence outside of online environments
These are not easy conversations. But they are important ones. And they are conversations where trusted carers and support workers play an incredibly valuable role.
A human-centred lens for an evolving world
Legislation will continue to evolve as society changes. Technology will continue to move faster than policy.
What remains constant is the need for compassionate, informed, human-centred care — care that helps young people feel safe, heard, and supported.
At Talent Quarter, we talk often about care sitting at the centre of what we do. For me, that means recognising the people doing the work, and ensuring they are equipped, supported, and valued - especially during periods of change.
Because when the workforce is supported, young people feel it. Families feel it. Communities feel it. And the outcomes improve.
What are you seeing?
I’d be genuinely interested to hear how others across the youth, disability, and community sectors are thinking about this shift - and what you’re seeing on the ground.
What conversations are emerging? What challenges are surfacing? And what support do workers need right now to navigate it well?
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Every year, social care organisations across Australia wait for one key announcement that can significantly impact their workforce budgets, service delivery models and recruitment strategies. But First, What Does SCHADS Stand For? SCHADS stands for the: Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award - If you work in disability, community services, home care or social support, you've probably heard of the SCHADS Award . It's one of Australia's largest modern awards and sets the minimum employment conditions for hundreds of thousands of workers across the social care sector. The award is overseen by the Fair Work Commission and establishes the minimum standards employers must meet when employing eligible workers. Following the Fair Work Commission's 2026 Annual Wage Review decision, a 4.75% increase to SCHADS Award wages has been confirmed, with the new rates taking effect from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. For employers across the social care sector, attention is now turning to workforce planning, compliance and budgeting for the new financial year. It covers employees working in areas such as: Disability support Community services Home care Youth services Family support Crisis accommodation Social and community programs And it's not just base pay that may change. Any increase can also impact: Weekend penalties Casual loadings Overtime rates Public holiday payments Sleepover and shift allowances Industry Insight "As a recruiter working closely with the NFP sector, I welcome the 4.75% SCHADS increase. Better pay will help attract and retain the incredible people who dedicate their careers to supporting others. But many leaders are already asking the same question: where will the additional funding come from? The success of this change won't be measured by wage growth alone, but by whether organisations are given the resources to sustain it." - Greg Forster ( Senior Recruitment Specialist | Talent Quarter, 25+ years' experience recruiting leaders across the welfare, community, disability, aged care and mental health sectors). What Does This Mean for Employers? For providers across healthcare, disability and community services, staying on top of award changes is critical. Now is the time to: ✔ Review employee classifications ✔ Check payroll systems are up to date ✔ Budget for increased labour costs ✔ Ensure compliance across your workforce Getting it wrong can create significant compliance risks. But, getting it right helps protect both your organisation and your employees. The Bottom Line The SCHADS Award isn't just about wages. It's a key part of workforce compliance, employee retention and operational planning across Australia's care sector. With the wage increase now confirmed, organisations that prepare early will be best placed to manage costs, remain compliant and continue attracting quality talent in an increasingly competitive market. Need Support Navigating Workforce Changes? Whether you're preparing for SCHADS Award updates, planning for workforce growth, or looking to strengthen your recruitment strategy, having the right people in place has never been more important. At Talent Quarter, we partner with healthcare, disability, aged care and community service organisations across Australia to help solve workforce challenges before they impact service delivery. From permanent recruitment and workforce planning to sourcing hard-to-fill talent, our team understands the unique pressures facing the care sector. If you're reviewing your workforce needs for the new financial year, we'd love to have a conversation. Get in touch with our Talent Quarter team to discuss your hiring goals, workforce challenges and talent needs.
Here at Talent Quarter, providing quality support to both healthcare professionals and clients has always been a core part of how we work. Achieving ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems (QMS) certification with Certex is an important milestone that reflects the care, consistency and accountability we aim to bring to everything we do. As a healthcare recruitment and workforce solutions partner operating across Australia, Talent Quarter works closely with nurses, midwives, doctors, allied health professionals and social care workers across metro, regional and remote communities. What is ISO 9001 — and Why Does It Matter? ISO 9001 is an internationally recognised quality management standard designed to help organisations improve the way they operate, deliver services consistently and continually review how they can do things better. Rather than being a simple “tick-box” exercise, it requires businesses to build clear processes, strengthen accountability and create structured systems around risk management, documentation, communication and continuous improvement. Pursuing ISO 9001 certification gave the team an opportunity to strengthen and formalise many of the quality processes already in place across the business. As our organisation continues to grow and support more government and healthcare partners, having a recognised framework helps ensure services remain consistent, compliant and people-focused. The certification journey involved reviewing internal systems, refining documentation and improving visibility across processes and responsibilities. While it required time and collaboration across teams, it also created valuable opportunities to improve the way Talent Quarter works internally and supports its clients and candidates externally. Shannon O’Fionnagain, Executive Head of Operational Strategy & Governance at Talent Quarter, shared: “It strengthens customer confidence, supports improved customer satisfaction, and reinforces our culture of continuous improvement.” Certex’s collaborative and industry-informed approach played a key role throughout the process, helping ensure the certification journey remained both practical and aligned with Talent Quarter’s operational environment. For us, this certification is not just about achieving a standard - it’s about continuing to build trust, improve experiences and support healthcare communities with care and consistency.
In healthcare, aged care and community services, compliance is often treated like a checklist. Documents collected. Boxes ticked. Systems updated. But in reality, compliance isn’t a process. It’s a risk strategy. And right now, too many organisations are still managing it like an admin task. Across the sector, the same patterns show up: Credentials checked once, then assumed to stay valid Visa and work rights confirmed at onboarding, but not monitored Manual systems used to track expiry dates Last-minute scrambles when gaps are uncovered Mounting pressure during audits and reviews None of this is actually intentional. But it creates exposure and in our sector, that exposure directly impacts care quality, safety, and trust. Moving beyond “point-in-time” compliance A worker who was compliant three months ago… isn’t necessarily compliant today. Registrations change, documents expire and visa conditions evolve. If compliance isn’t actively monitored, gaps will appear. It’s not a question of if, it’s when. The cost of getting it wrong This isn’t just theoretical. It shows up in very real ways: Failed audits and costly remediation Regulatory penalties Service disruption and cancelled shifts Increased admin burden Reputational damage across clients and communities And most importantly, it introduces risk into environments where there is no room for error. What we’re seeing Through our work across Australia, one thing is clear: Most providers don’t lack intent, they lack systems designed to eliminate gaps. Because managing compliance… isn’t the same as controlling it. A different approach: Zero-Gap Compliance At Talent Quarter, we’ve shifted away from “point-in-time” compliance to a model of continuous compliance . We call it Zero-Gap Compliance - a system designed to remove the opportunity for gaps to exist in the first place. It’s built on a few simple principles: No clearance, no placement Continuous, real-time monitoring (not one-off checks) Verified visa status and work rights Automated alerts before issues become risks Full audit visibility across every worker If something isn’t current, verified, and compliant, it simply doesn’t go. What this delivers Reduced organisational risk Stronger governance More reliable workforce coverage Protection of care quality And ultimately, confidence that the workforce you rely on is exactly what it should be. There’s a simple rule we apply: If there’s a gap, we don’t place. No exceptions. No workarounds. No risk passed on.
