Australia Breaks New Ground with Under-16 Social Media Ban

Australia: The eyes of the world are fixed on Australia today, as the nation officially becomes the first to roll out sweeping age restrictions for social media. As of midnight, all Australians under 16 years of age have lost access to major platforms, marking a significant, immediate shift in the digital landscape for millions of young people.

The ban covers a vast list of popular services, including Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Snapchat, TikTok, Reddit, X, YouTube, Twitch, and Kick.

While Communications Minister Anika Wells acknowledges that children will attempt to circumvent the restrictions—a natural reaction for teenagers—the onus of compliance falls squarely on the social media companies, not the users.

There is no penalty for a child under 16, or their parents/guardians, for attempting to bypass the ban.

The real teeth of the legislation are directed at the tech giants. Platforms that fail to take “reasonable steps” to enforce the age restriction face severe civil penalties, including fines of up to $49.5 million per offense, as ordered by a court.

The eSafety Commission, led by Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, will be the body monitoring and enforcing these compliance measures. “Reasonable steps” for platforms include:

Including the swift removal or deactivation of existing under-16 accounts.

Blocking minors from creating new profiles or “workarounds.”

Establishing methods to correct errors, such as reactivating an account for a user mistakenly restricted.

The fate of a minor’s account depends on the platform.

Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, and X have indicated they will deactivate accounts.

Snapchat has confirmed it will remove accounts entirely.

Furthermore, any Australian, regardless of age, creating a new account on a restricted platform may now be required to verify their age using methods like facial verification or a government-issued ID. Platforms must, however, offer non-ID verification options to protect user privacy.

The ban currently applies to platforms that facilitate social interaction, allow user-posted material, and are accessible in Australia.

Platforms currently exempt from the ban include: Discord, GitHub, Google Classroom, LEGO Play, Messenger, Pinterest, Roblox, Steam, WhatsApp, and YouTube Kids.

However, the eSafety Commission is poised to act, monitoring where children may migrate to next. Minister Wells has already issued a warning that apps like Yope, Lemon8, and even LinkedIn could be added to the restricted list if the scope needs to be expanded.