Social Media Age Restrictions: What It Means for All-Star

Australia’s new social media age restrictions are changing the way youth sport interacts online. The framework aims to better safeguard children under 16 from online risks, a positive development that nonetheless presents new and complex challenges for our community.

In cheerleading, athletes as young as five perform on national stages. By 14 or 15, many are already navigating complex online ecosystems responsibly- editing team highlight videos, promoting fundraisers, or sharing their sport with pride. These new rules will require us, as an industry, to rethink how we communicate, celebrate, and protect.

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What Gyms Should Do Now

1. Audit your current social media presence.

Review all accounts, especially those run by athletes or youth teams. Ensure no athlete under 16 operates or appears on posts or stories.

2. Revisit your social media policy.

Shift your target audience: instead of speaking directly to athletes, gyms will now need to speak to parents, guardians, and young adult athletes (16+). Be clear about who can appear online and under what conditions. Include age, parental approval, and purpose. 

3. Train your coaches.

Coaches need guidance on digital boundaries, communication protocols, and what online safety expectations now look like.

4. Build your communication ecosystem.

Establish secure, official platforms for team updates and media sharing:

• Team management apps like BAND, TeamApp, or Slack

• Email newsletters for parents. Involve athletes in meaningful communications so their voices are still heard; ie an athlete led newsletter. 

• Password-protected galleries for training photos or videos

Use your gym’s voice to model compliance:

“We’re committed to online safety for young athletes.”

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Beyond Compliance: The Real Challenge

Regulation doesn’t always equal protection. Restricting under-16s from social media won’t stop them from engaging online — it will simply push them into less visible, less regulated spaces like alternate “finsta” accounts.

It also has broader implications for our sport’s visibility. 

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The Way Forward

Rather than outsourcing safety to algorithms, we need to teach digital literacy and consent. Our role as adults, educators, and leaders is to equip young athletes with the skills to navigate online spaces ethically and confidently — not to remove their voices entirely.

So, how do we reimagine cheer marketing to celebrate the sport ethically and inclusively, without erasing youth participation?

That’s the conversation we need to have as one All-Star community.

The ACU is the peak body for the sport of All-Star Cheer and Dance. Have feedback or ideas? We want to hear

from you, reach out to the ACU and share how your gym or studio is navigating these new restrictions,

reach out to us at admin@australian.cheerunion.org.