Australia Enforces Landmark Ban Blocking Children Under 16 From Social Media

By Staff, Agencies

Australia is set to implement the world’s first nationwide ban on social media use for children under the age of 16, cutting off access to major platforms including TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.

The legislation, approved by Parliament last year, will come into force on Wednesday. Social media companies that fail to comply could face fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars, roughly $33 million.

Under the new rules, age-restricted platforms must take “reasonable steps” to prevent anyone under 16 from creating or maintaining an account starting December 10, 2025. The government says the move is designed to protect children during a “critical stage of their development.”

To enforce the ban, platforms will be required to rely on a combination of verification signals, such as user activity patterns, viewing behavior and photographs, while also preventing minors from bypassing age restrictions through fake identification, AI-generated images, deepfakes or VPNs.

Technology companies have pushed back, labeling the law “vague,” “rushed,” and difficult to enforce. TikTok and Meta both warned of technical challenges but said they would comply. Meta has already begun removing accounts belonging to users under 16 ahead of the deadline. Snapchat and other platforms cautioned that the ban could drive young users toward less regulated and potentially harmful online spaces. Reddit sharply criticized the measure, calling it arbitrary and legally flawed.

Australia’s move comes as other governments consider similar restrictions. The European Parliament passed a non-binding resolution in November supporting a minimum social media age of 16. Denmark is debating a ban for under-15s, while France, Spain, Italy, Denmark and Greece are jointly testing an age-verification app. Malaysia has announced plans to prohibit social media access for under-16s beginning in 2026.

Elsewhere, Russia recently banned the gaming platform Roblox, citing the spread of extremist content and “LGBTQ” propaganda.

Rising concerns over online child safety have also intensified legal scrutiny. In the US, Meta is facing lawsuits alleging it failed to remove harmful content, including cases involving adult strangers contacting minors, suicide-related material, eating disorders and child sexual abuse, despite repeated warnings.