Australia Set to Ban Under-16s from Major Social Media Platforms

In a groundbreaking move, Australia will become the first nation to impose a ban on social media usage for children under 16, effective December 10, 2025. Major platforms such as TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, and Threads will not allow users in this age group to create new accounts or maintain existing ones, marking a significant step in online child protection.

Why It Matters

This legislation has critical implications for child safety in the digital age, addressing growing concerns over the harmful effects of social media on youth health and well-being. With increasing reports of exposure to disturbing content and online bullying, the Australian government aims to set a new standard for global social media regulations.

Key Developments

• The ban will apply to ten major platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
• Fines of up to A$49.5 million (US$32 million) will be imposed on social media companies that fail to comply.
• The government has indicated that existing children’s profiles must be deactivated, while parents and children won’t face penalties.
• Concerns have been raised about the effectiveness of age verification technologies.
• Critics argue that the limited scope of the ban may undermine its effectiveness.

Full Report

Implementation Details

The Australian government’s decision is based on studies indicating that 96% of children aged 10-15 use social media, with many encountering harmful content, including violence and images encouraging eating disorders or self-harm. A significant percentage reported experiences of cyberbullying or inappropriate interactions.

Australia’s ban will apply across several major platforms—specifically, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube, and others like Reddit. However, services like YouTube Kids and WhatsApp are excluded as they do not meet the criteria defined by the government, which focuses on platforms enabling social interaction.

Enforcement and Concerns

Enforcement will see social media companies tasked with implementing various age verification technologies, including government IDs, facial recognition, and behavioral analysis. Critics fear that these technologies may result in adults being wrongly blocked or underage users slipping through the cracks. Additionally, the government’s report highlighted a weakness in face recognition accuracy for teenagers.

Some stakeholders express skepticism about the financial penalties imposed on companies, noting the staggering revenue that companies like Meta generate in short time frames. Others argue that the limited scope of the ban—excluding gaming platforms and AI chatbots—may leave gaps in protection for youth.

Responses from social media companies have been mixed, with platforms like Meta beginning to deactivate teen accounts while expressing concerns about the ban’s implications on user privacy and its potential to drive children to less safe corners of the internet.

Education vs. Regulation

While some suggest that educational initiatives on digital literacy might be a more effective solution, reports indicate that some teenagers are already planning to create fake accounts or switch to joint accounts with parents to avoid restrictions. The government’s hope is that companies will swiftly act to identify and dismantle such accounts.

Data Protection Considerations

Data privacy remains a hot-button issue linked to the new regulations. The Australian government contends that it will implement strong safeguards to govern how age verification data is used, requiring its destruction post-verification and imposing serious penalties for breaches.

Context & Previous Events

Legislative measures surrounding social media usage by minors are gaining international traction. Countries like Denmark and Norway are contemplating similar bans, while France and Spain have proposed regulations aimed at restricting minors’ access to social media. In the UK, recent regulations prone to hefty fines for non-compliance were introduced in mid-2025, highlighting a global shift towards stricter online safety for young people.

However, an effort in Utah to ban social media access for minors without parental consent was blocked by a federal judge in 2024, signaling ongoing debates around the regulation of digital platforms in youth safety.