London, December 08, 2025
Australia will enforce a new nationwide ban starting December 10, 2025, preventing anyone under 16 from having accounts on major social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat. The legislation aims to enhance youth mental health and online safety by holding tech companies responsible for compliance with age restrictions.
Details of the New Law
The Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024 requires prominent social media platforms to implement reasonable measures to verify users’ ages, blocking under-16 individuals from creating or maintaining accounts. Platforms affected include TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, Facebook, X, Reddit, Twitch, Threads, and Kick. Exemptions apply to child-focused apps like Messenger Kids, WhatsApp, and YouTube Kids.
The government will impose substantial penalties—potentially up to AUD 50 million—on platforms that fail to comply. Importantly, enforcement targets corporations rather than underage users themselves, who will not face fines for access violations.
Objective: Protecting Youth Online
This policy is motivated by growing concerns over mental health challenges, cyberbullying, exposure to harmful content, and online predation risks disproportionately impacting minors on social media. By legally mandating age restrictions, Australia intends to reduce these risks and create safer digital environments for children and teenagers.
Implementation and Verification
Platforms are encouraged to adopt varied age verification methods, including analyzing user-uploaded photos or videos and requesting official identification documents. Alternative verification approaches must be offered to accommodate privacy and accessibility concerns, addressing the complexity of verifying millions of users reliably.
Challenges and Government Response
Despite technological and policy efforts, some teenagers reportedly circumvent age restrictions using false identification, misrepresentation, or family members’ accounts. The government and platforms acknowledge these enforcement challenges and continue to develop more robust safeguards to bridge loopholes.
Global Context and Significance
Australia’s move is a world-first comprehensive regulatory approach, positioning its eSafety Commissioner at the forefront of proactive youth online protection. This legislation is expected to attract international scrutiny and may influence similar regulatory frameworks globally, as nations grapple with balancing digital access and the mental well-being of younger populations.
The implementation of this social media age ban marks a notable precedent for tech industry regulation and youth safety policy. Its effectiveness will be closely observed by policymakers, technology companies, and public health experts worldwide.