Anthony Albanese has been slammed for bragging about the social media ban for under-16s and suggesting alternative activities on his social media account.
The Instagram post sparked a mix of amusement and bewilderment as the Prime Minister marked one month since the restrictions came into effect.
In the seven‑part post, Albanese is pictured with a group of netballers, riding his bicycle around the neighbourhood in work attire, and reading books to children.
He also suggests kids could head to their local beach or pool, help cook dinner, kick the footy, or draw, paint or build something 'special.'
'That means more time for reading, bike rides and sport - and less time lost to scrolling,' the post read.
Social media users swiftly mocked the irony of the post and questioned whether the photos reflected real‑world holiday life for most families.
'The irony that this is a post on social media,' one said.
'I like the laws but he is right - it's ironic,' another agreed.
The staging of the post needs work with Albanese (pictured) unconvincingly riding his bike around the neighbourhood in his work attire while men in suits look on
Albanese has made a raft of school holiday activity suggestions for children affected by the social ban
'This whole post looks like a parody! Have you been hacked?' a third questioned.
Others argued the ban had not been effective.
'My 15 year old sister is still able to use Instagram so... not the greatest job in the world,' one commented.
'I am under 16 and using instagram Anthony Albanese and I am not fng going to draw an artwork cuz,' another said.
Some used the post to raise broader concerns about childcare, accessibility and family support.
'So are you going to give parents enough leave from work to cover all the school holidays? And build safe accessible communities for families? Including single parents, parents with disability etcetera,' one said.
'Definitely all great things to do. But younger children need their parents there to do any of these things, which isn't compatible with how we currently structure work.'
'I'm grateful I had some leave to take over the school holidays, but it never covers the full month and a bit.'
Some parents have used the post to raise broader concerns about childcare, accessibility and family support for parents during school holidays
But not all the feedback was negative. Others praised the social media ban and the Prime Minister's message.
'This is exactly what our kids should be doing. Thanks for saving our generation.'
'We're seeing way more kids out on bikes than before the ban, including our son.'
Australia became the first country in the world to ban teenagers under 16 from social media.
Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, Snapchat, Twitch, Kick, X, YouTube, and Reddit are among the platforms banned, with fines of almost $50million for failing to take action in removing under-16s from their platforms.
Communications Minister Anika Wells said the list of sites is dynamic and may expand if children migrate to other platforms not already included in the ban.
Online bullying, exposure to harmful content and 'predatory algorithms' have been cited as the main reasons for the ban.
Grieving parent Robb Evans sees his late daughter Liv's battle with anorexia nervosa, which ended in tragedy in April 2023, as sparked by schoolyard bullying and fanned by Instagram.
'The claws were in so deeply she couldn't see a place to recover,' he said.
Emma Mason has a similar tragic story about her daughter, Tilly, who was bullied on social media, including having a fake nude image of her circulated online.
However, there are other emerging arguments that preventing children from developing social media habits at a young age may have wider health benefits.