Australia’s Bold Move to Ban Social Media for Under-16s
So, here’s something that’s making global headlines — Australia is about to become the first country in the world to roll out a nationwide ban on social media for kids under 16. Yes, really. And while the plan has sparked all kinds of questions and debates, it’s already been locked in to start on December 10 this year.
The federal government says this move is all about protecting children’s mental health and well-being. According to their stance, the risks of harm — things like cyberbullying, exposure to adult or violent content, and addictive scrolling — outweigh any benefit of young people being on these platforms.
Under the new law, all social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and Reddit will be required to make sure that under-16s don’t have accounts. And here’s the kicker: they’ll be legally responsible. If they don’t take “reasonable steps” to enforce this, they could be hit with fines of up to $50 million . That’s not a typo.
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Interestingly, there won’t be any penalties for kids or their parents if they manage to sneak past the system — the burden is placed squarely on the tech companies. That includes making sure existing underage accounts are actually deactivated.
Now, you might be wondering: how will these platforms even know how old someone is? That’s still a work in progress. The platforms are allowed to ask for age verification — like government IDs — but they can’t make that a requirement to use the service. Instead, they’ll need to offer “reasonable alternatives,” which hasn’t been clearly defined yet. Some face-scanning technology has been tested, but results have been mixed. In fact, in some trials, teens were mistakenly identified as adults in their 30s. So yeah, the tech isn’t exactly foolproof yet.
And while platforms like YouTube were initially going to be excluded from the ban, they’ve now been added to the list after pushback from Australia’s eSafety Commissioner. That said, YouTube’s a bit of a special case because a lot of its content can be viewed without logging in. So, while underage users won’t be able to post or comment, they’ll still be able to watch most videos — unless it’s age-restricted. YouTube Kids will remain available, since it doesn’t allow uploads or comments.
Apps like WhatsApp, Messenger Kids, and Google Classroom won’t be affected because they’re not considered social media under the government’s definition.
And what about video games? The government says platforms like Roblox and Fortnite aren’t part of the ban either, as they pose fewer “social media-like” harms.
So, even though the enforcement details are still being figured out, the message is clear: Australia is taking a bold stance. Whether or not other countries follow suit — well, all eyes are watching.
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