Australia becomes first country in the world to ban social media for children under 16

A ban on the use of social media for users under the age of 16 has come into effect in Australia.

The Guardian writes about this.

From December 10, ten of the largest platforms must delete the accounts of Australian teenagers and prevent them from registering new accounts. These are Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, YouTube, Snapchat, Reddit, Kick, Twitch and TikTok.

All of the platforms listed, except X, have already confirmed that they will comply with the ban.

Social networks that fail to do so could face fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($32 million).

Some users under 16 have already been age-verified using facial recognition and other services. The government acknowledges that the ban may not work perfectly at first.

The new law has drawn criticism from big tech companies and free speech advocates, but polls show most Australians support the restrictions, including parents and child rights advocates.

Some parents teach their children to use VPNs and other methods to bypass age restrictions.

• The Australian Senate has passed a bill to ban children under 16 from using social media in November 2024. The countryʼs Prime Minister Anthony Albanese explained that social media can harm children — for example, affecting their physical and mental health. The adopted law is one of the strictest requirements for regulating the use of social media in the world.

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