The Australian government’s social media ban will begin in about two weeks. From December 10, those under 16 will no longer be able to have personal accounts on sites such as YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. They will still be able to see publicly accessible content.

A lot of the debate around this change has focused on the harms of these platforms, such as cyberbullying, misinformation and screen addiction.

But we also know social media is an important way for young people to connect, especially for marginalised groups.

Our as yet unpublished new research shows the ban risks harming young Australians of African heritage by limiting vital pathways for identity formation, belonging and connection.

Since 2023, we have been working on a broader project on African Diaspora Youth Belonging. This has involved nine youth co-researchers from across Australia. Their experiences and reflections form part of the research and they have learned to design and carry out research themselves.

In this particular part of the research, the nine co-researchers conducted two rounds of conversations with 31 other African diaspora young people about belonging in Australia in 2023 and 2024. This included questions about social media use. Young people were invited through personal networks and social media.

Participants came from every state and territory except Tasmania, and from both urban and regional areas. The group........

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