Logging Off Before 16: Australia’s Bold Social Media Ban

In many countries, 13 years old is the loose norm for access to social media. Typically based on terms of service set by the social media company rather than country law, age verification systems aren’t always the most effective. If someone underage really wanted to get their own TikTok account, nothing is stopping them from just listing their birthday as above 13 on the app.

However, starting on December 10th, 2025, Australia officially banned anyone under the age of 16 from having access to most major social media platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, X (formerly Twitter), and others.

Within the first few weeks of implementation, millions of accounts marked as belonging to Australian teens under 16 were removed and disabled by those social media companies.

This marks a large shift in the public perception and treatment of social media within Australia.

The ban itself doesn’t punish Australian teens, nor their parents, should they try to sign up for an account. Instead, it places the responsibility on the social media companies themselves to regulate who is using their technology—and if they fail to do this, face fines up to AU$49.5  million (~US$32 million) per violation.

The enforcement of this ban is largely driven by a variety of age-verification technologies, depending on the company. However, they cannot make government ID checks mandatory, as this could raise privacy concerns. This, in turn, makes identity verification a complex issue, and solutions to this are ongoing.

While the ban was only recently enacted, the law was passed in late 2024 as a part of Australia’s “Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024”, which was responsible for revising Australia’s existing online safety framework.

This ban arose amidst concerns about the role played by social media in adolescents’ mental health and wellbeing, especially considering factors such as cyberbullying and addictive app design. The age of 16 was chosen because advocates for this ban argue that delaying social media access until this age mitigates the negative effects linked to early social media exposure, namely anxiety, depression, body image issues, and distraction from education.

The effects of this social media ban haven’t just been limited to Australia’s youth. In fact, lawmakers across Europe—as well as the U.S. and certain Indian states—have proposed similar frameworks based on this ban.

Australia’s changing laws have certainly sparked discussion. While many parents support this, some critics point out that this could lead those under 16 to seek out less regulated and potentially less safe parts of the internet to bypass these restrictions.

If you’re under the age of 16, what do you think? Do you think the benefits of a ban like this if implemented in the U.S., would outweigh its limitations?