We did it. On Dec 10, 2025, Australia enacted legislation that switched off social media for U16s. 

Over the last 2 days we’ve been getting messages from parents saying “my kid asked me to play handball last night because they didn’t have anything to do and it honestly felt like I got my kid back!”  Or “I came home from work to 6 teens playing backyard cricket under sprinklers, eating chips, drinking coke, 6 phones in the kitchen for hours now... not being looked at”. 

At the same time, we’ve seen some reporting that contains inaccuracies and assumptions about the people and organisations driving these reforms, including 36 Months. 

We wouldn’t be here with you and your support. So I wanted to take a moment to share with you some very clear facts about how we’re structured, funded and why we’ve made these decisions. 

Founded in 2024 for the purpose of social media reform, 36 Months is a cause-driven organisation. We are not a charity and never have been. We are structured as a for-profit entity but we have not made any profit. Rob and Wippa as the 36 Months cofounders have personally funded 36 Months to help achieve social media reform, in addition to 3 corporate sponsors who came on board when we first launched. The other 2 sponsors have provided in-kind support. We have used these funds to pay for contractors such as a social media coordinator, a videographer, a publicist and a small team. Corporate sponsorship has not covered all of our expenses and Rob and Wippa have covered the shortfall. 

Our decision to structure ourselves this way is mostly because we all work in advertising and media and we thought it made sense to raise money from the corporate sector to do good. We have invited brands to lean into a zeitgeist moment and show up for parents on an issue they care about. This has been our funding model. We don’t take donations from parents and we haven’t taken any funding or money from Government. We invite the corporate sector to lean in and do good.

Corporate sponsorship, as you can imagine, is not a sustainable funding model, so we have been exploring other pathways to sustainably fund our mission to rebuild the ecosystem around adolescence. From well-being measurement tools to platforms that help kids get their first job. 

In the lead-up to December 10, we anticipated attempts to create confusion around the rollout, particularly from groups with an interest in preventing similar reforms overseas. What we didn’t anticipate was the degree of personal speculation about those involved. We remain focused on the evidence, the legislation, and the families this reform is designed to help. 

We value your support immensely. Australia wouldn’t be leading the way on this issue without your decision to lean in and add your voice, resource, and belief. At the end of the day, we are all just mums and dads who care about our kids. From the PM, to the person writing a comment on Instagram, we’re parents who care. And we’re reminding ourselves that this is not about any particular advocacy group or politician, it’s about the 150,000 parents who asked for change and achieved it.

Thank you again for your voice.