Australia’s under-16 social media ban begins

Australia will begin enforcing what it describes as a world-first ban on the use of social media by under-16s from Wednesday (December 10). 

The law compels major platforms to prevent Australian children from accessing their services or face steep penalties. 

Under the new rules, ten large platforms – including Instagram, TikTok and YouTube – must block access for users under the age of 16 or risk fines of up to A$49.5 million. 

The government has framed the move as a response to growing concern about the impact of social media on children’s mental health, pointing to internal industry documents that showed companies knew their products contributed to problems such as body image issues among teenagers, Reuters reported. 

All ten platforms, except X, have said that they will comply with the restrictions, according to Reuters. Companies are expected to rely on tools such as age estimation based on a user’s online behaviour or selfies, as well as checks of official identity documents. 

Elon Musk, owner of X, has criticised the measure as a potential backdoor to broader government control over internet access. 

The rollout is being closely watched by governments weighing similar measures, including Denmark, Malaysia and the United Kingdom. 

In Australia, the online safety regulator has commissioned a multi-year study with academic partners to assess how the ban affects young people, platforms and broader digital habits. 

Industry experts say the law marks a significant shift for social media companies, whose growth has long depended on attracting young users. 

Although firms say they generate little advertising revenue from under-16s, they acknowledge that cutting off this age group disrupts a key pipeline for future users.