As of December 10, 2025, Australia has become the first country in the world to enforce a nationwide ban on social media access for children and teenagers under the age of 16, international media reported.
This landmark legislation, passed in November 2024 as the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024, aims to protect young users from the mental health risks associated with platforms, including addiction, cyberbullying, body image issues, and exposure to harmful content.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hailed the move as “world-leading,” emphasizing it empowers families to reclaim control from “predatory algorithms” and tech giants.
Affected Platforms
Includes major services like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), Reddit, Threads, Twitch, and Kick.
The list is dynamic and could expand to include emerging platforms or sites like Roblox and Discord if they gain popularity among youth.
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Social media companies must implement “reasonable steps” to block under-16s from creating or maintaining accounts, using methods like age estimation via selfies, behavioral analysis, or ID verification (with data deletion required post-check to protect privacy).
Exemptions
Messaging apps like WhatsApp, educational tools like Google Classroom, and kid-focused platforms like YouTube Kids are not included.
Approximately 1-1.1 million Australian youth (96% of under-16s) hold social media accounts, affecting over a million users who woke up to deactivated profiles today.
Parents and advocates celebrate it as a vital safeguard, with polls showing 77% public approval. Albanese urged kids to pivot to sports, reading, or instruments during the upcoming summer break.
Responses vary; some feel “insulted” or face “culture shock,” while others are “neutral” or relieved. Vulnerable groups, like a quadriplegic teen, worry about increased isolation.
Companies like Meta, TikTok, and Reddit have complied but voiced “deep concerns” over free speech, privacy, and enforcement feasibility. Some warn it could drive kids to unregulated spaces, making them less safe.
Critics, however, question the evidence base, arguing links between social media and youth mental health issues (like depression spikes since 2010) may be correlational, not causal, and that the ban risks overreach without addressing root causes.
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