Australia bans under-16s from social media in global first

As of Wednesday, 10 December 2025, Australia has become the first country in the world to prohibit children under the age of sixteen from accessing social media platforms, including TikTok, Alphabet’s YouTube, and Meta’s Instagram and Facebook. Under the new law, major platforms must block under-age users or face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian Dollars (USD33 million). The measure has been welcomed by parents and child-safety advocates but strongly criticised by technology companies and free-speech campaigners.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the move as a “historic measure to protect families”, arguing that the government could no longer rely on platforms to introduce adequate safeguards voluntarily.

In the first days of implementation, hundreds of thousands of accounts have already been removed, and regulators are monitoring an estimated one million affected children. Governments around the world are observing the rollout closely, viewing Australia as a test case for whether such a sweeping restriction can be enforced effectively.

Post-implementation challenges 

Despite its ambition, the policy faces considerable challenges. Early reports suggest that some children have already managed to bypass age-verification systems, exposing the limitations of platform-level checks and the difficulty of verifying identity online without intrusive data collection.

The system also relies heavily on social media companies to police their own platforms, raising concerns about inconsistent enforcement and the possibility that some firms may treat fines as a cost of doing business. Parents, educators and child psychologists have noted that the ban may create new pressures for families, particularly where social media plays a significant role in school life, community engagement and creative expression.

Meanwhile, critics warn that the law sets a precedent that may one day be applied more broadly, potentially restricting legitimate access for older users and raising questions about surveillance, privacy and civil liberties.

Jake Moore, Global Security Advisor at ESET, emphasised the scale of the challenge, “Although this is a huge step in the right direction, banning under 16s completely from social media could be extremely challenging to implement. Children are the most relentless when it comes to circumnavigation so the checks will need to be robustly enforced.

He added, "There are already indications that some kids have been able to bypass the restrictions in place, so these will need to be ironed out. It highlights how important it is to get the features right first time, especially when the rest of the world is watching to see how impactful the new restrictions are. Regulators will need to remain firm with any accounts set up by children and remove them as quickly as possible if they want to call this a success.”

Potential benefits if the model works 

If the model succeeds, however, it could deliver significant benefits. Reduced exposure to harmful content, targeted advertising, cyberbullying and addictive design features could lead to improved mental health outcomes for young people and healthier online habits in the long term.

 A functioning enforcement regime would also place increased pressure on technology companies to invest in more reliable age-verification tools, better content moderation and safer product design. Moreover, Australia could establish a global benchmark for child online safety, emboldening other governments to adopt similar protections and accelerating international discussions on the responsibilities of digital platforms.

Australia’s ban is now one of the most ambitious attempts yet to reshape how young people interact with technology. Whether it succeeds or falters, the world will be watching its consequences closely.