Australia’s social media ban for young people takes effect

Australia has banned children under 16 from social media in a world-first, as other countries consider similar age-based measures amid rising concerns over social media’s effects on children’s health and safety.

Under the new law, which came into effect at midnight local time on Wednesday (13:00 GMT on Tuesday), 10 of the biggest platforms face $33m in fines if they fail to purge Australian-based users younger than 16.
The law has been criticised by major technology companies and free speech campaigners, but praised by parents and child advocates.

The Australian government says unprecedented measures are needed to protect children from “predatory algorithms” filling phone screens with bullying, sex and violence.

“Too often, social media isn’t social at all,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in advance of the ban.

“Instead, it’s used as a weapon for bullies, a platform for peer pressure, a driver of anxiety, a vehicle for scammers and, worst of all, a tool for online predators.”

Al Jazeera’s Danielle Robertson, reporting from Sydney, Australia, said that millions of Australians woke up on Wednesday morning to a “new online world”, which involved young people having their social media accounts “deactivated”.

“Australia is officially beginning this experiment that is going to be watched closely by lawmakers around the world,” Robertson said.

“How this will work, under the law, 10 of the biggest platforms, including TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, will not allow Australians under 16 to use their services, and they will use technologies such as facial recognition and government-issued IDs to verify their age,” she said.
“Other countries have said they are watching this very closely, with some already considering implementing something similar, from places like Denmark to Malaysia and even some US states,” Robertson added.
The law states that Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat and Reddit are forbidden from creating or keeping accounts belonging to users in Australia under 16.

Streaming platforms Kick and Twitch are also on the government’s blacklist, as are message boards Threads and X. Popular apps and websites such as Roblox, Pinterest and WhatsApp are currently exempt, but the government has stressed that the list remains under review.

Meta, YouTube and other social media giants have already condemned the ban.

YouTube, in particular, has attacked the law as “rushed” and said it would only push children into deeper, darker corners of the internet.

While most platforms have begrudgingly agreed to comply with the law, for now, legal challenges are in the wind.

Online discussion site Reddit said on Tuesday that it could not confirm local media reports that said it would seek to overturn the ban in Australia’s High Court.

The Sydney-based internet rights group Digital Freedom Project has already launched its own bid to have teenagers reinstated to social media.
The Australian government concedes the ban will be far from perfect at the outset, and canny teenagers will find ways to circumvent it.

Social media companies bear the sole responsibility for checking that users are 16 or older. Some platforms say they will use AI tools to estimate ages based on photos, while young users may also choose to prove their age by uploading a government ID.

There is keen interest in whether Australia’s sweeping restrictions can work as regulators around the globe wrestle with the potential dangers of social media.

Malaysia has indicated that it plans to introduce a similar ban next year.

Australian Minister for Communications Anika Wells said last week that the European Commission, France, Denmark, Greece, Romania and New Zealand were also interested in setting a minimum age for social media.