Australia Introduces Landmark Ban on Social Media for Under-16s

Mon Nov 24 2025 14:58:01 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Starting December 10, Australia will become the first country to ban social media usage for children under the age of 16, implementing strict measures that social media companies must follow to comply.

Beginning December 10, social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok will need to block users under 16 from creating accounts, following a study revealing significant exposure of youth to harmful content. The government enforces this ban using age verification technologies, with potential fines for companies failing to comply. Concerns about privacy, effectiveness, and the potential consequences for children are being debated as Australia takes this unprecedented step.

From 10 December, social media companies will have to take reasonable steps to ensure that under-16s in Australia cannot set up accounts on their platforms and that existing accounts are deactivated or removed.

The government says the ban - a world-first policy popular with many parents - is aimed at reducing the pressures and risks children can be exposed to on social media, which come from design features that encourage them to spend more time on screens, while also serving up content that can harm their health and wellbeing.

A study commissioned by the government earlier this year said 96% of children aged 10-15 used social media and that seven out of 10 of them had been exposed to harmful content and behaviour. This behaviour ranged from misogynistic material to fight videos and content promoting eating disorders and suicide.

One in seven also reported experiencing grooming-type behaviour from adults or older children, and more than half said they had been the victims of cyberbullying.

What platforms are affected?

The Australian government has so far named ten platforms to be included in the ban: Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube, Reddit and streaming platforms Kick and Twitch.

It is also under pressure to expand the ban to online gaming. Fearing they may be targeted, gaming platforms such as Roblox and Discord have recently introduced age checks on some features in an apparent bid to ward off inclusion in the ban.

How will the ban be enforced?

Children and parents will not be punished for infringing the ban - it is social media companies who are charged with enforcing it, and they face fines of up to $49.5m (US$32m, £25m) for serious or repeated breaches.

The government says these companies must take reasonable steps to keep kids off their platforms, and use age assurance technologies - without specifying which ones.

Will it work?

Without a clear idea of what methods companies will be using, it's hard to say whether the social media ban will be effective - but concerns have been raised that age assurance technologies may wrongly block some users while failing to spot others who are underage.

The government's own report found that facial assessment technology, for example, is least reliable for the exact demographic it's needed to target.

Critics argue that the ban, even if properly implemented, will not actually reduce online harm for children. Dating websites and gaming platforms are not included, and nor are AI chatbots, which have recently made headlines for encouraging children to commit suicide and for having sensual conversations with minors.

Others point out that teens who rely on social media for community will be left isolated, and argue that educating children about how to navigate social media would be more effective.

Are there data protection concerns?

Critics have also raised concerns about the large-scale collection and storage of data that will be required, and its potential mishandling, as platforms try to verify users' ages.

But the government says the legislation incorporates strong protections for personal information. These protections stipulate that such information may not be used for anything other than age verification and must be destroyed once that has been done, with serious penalties for breaches.

How have social media companies responded?

Social media companies were aghast at the announcement of the ban in November 2024. They argued it would be difficult to implement, easy to circumvent and time consuming for users, as well as posing risks to their privacy.

YouTube's parent company, Google, is reportedly still considering whether to launch a legal challenge to the platform's inclusion.

Do other countries have similar bans?

The ban on under-16s using social media is a world first, and other countries will be watching closely. Different approaches have been tried elsewhere to limit screen and social media time for children and keep them from accessing harmful material, but nowhere has put a total ban on the platforms involved.

Will children try to get around the ban?

Teens interviewed by the BBC said they were opening new accounts with fake ages ahead of the ban - although the government has warned social media companies it expects them to detect such accounts and remove them.