By Annalise Kempen
Photo courtesy of Freepik
The legal age limit to grant children access to social media platforms is, in most cases, 13 years. The age limit serves as some form of protection against online abuse and exploitation by cyberbullies and sexual predators. In recent years, various interest groups have called for this age limit to be raised to at least 16 years. Australia has since become the first country to enforce a minimum age of 16 years on social media users since the end of 2025, to protect young Australians from harmful content and online abuse.
Although there is a lot of focus on protecting younger children from online abuse and harmful content, one aspect of social media receiving limited attention is how social media platforms are used to facilitate drug trafficking and ultimately drug abuse. The ill-informed may question how platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat or even WhatsApp can be used to “advertise” drugs. The answer is simple: just as legitimate businesses use these platforms as marketing tools for their services and products, drug dealers are using social media platforms to solicit buyers and arrange sales.
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[This is only an extract of an article published in Servamus: June 2026. This article is available for purchase.]