US EditionAustralia's world-first social media ban for under-16s comes into effect
- On Wednesday, Australia implemented a world-first law banning under-16s from holding social media accounts, deactivating more than 1 million accounts across 10 platforms including Facebook and TikTok.
- Citing child welfare concerns, Australian officials argued the law aims to protect children, with the Australian federal parliament passing the bill in last year, following a study on social media use.
- Under the law, platforms must take `reasonable steps` to block under-16s, face fines up to 49.5 million Australian dollars, and Meta will start closing accounts on Dec. 4.
- Two 15-year-olds have mounted a High Court challenge arguing the law robs 2.6 million young Australians of an implied freedom, while Communications Minister Anika Wells said the government will defend the measure and not be intimidated.
- Tech companies say the ban could drive users to darker corners of the internet, platforms warn young users may turn to unregulated apps or VPNs, polling shows 73 percent support but only 26 percent confidence, and other countries are watching.
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381 Articles
Since today's Wednesday, under-16-year-olds in Australia are no longer allowed to use social media. Ukrainian President Selenskyj is ready for new elections despite martial law.
Elon Musk's social network X said Wednesday it would comply with Australia's ban on social media for those under 16.
Should the UK copy Australia's social media ban for under 16s?
On Wednesday morning, as Australian teenagers woke to find themselves locked out of Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, British parents will be ordering £500-plus smartphones for their teens to open on Christmas morning. Australia is taking a regulatory sledgehammer to Big Tech while Britain dithers over policies that, in November, around 250 head teachers begged the government to implement. Australia’s Online Safety Amendment Act, the world’s first …
Australia social media ban on users aged under-16 kicks in: Why it could trigger a global crackdown
Australia had initially granted YouTube an exemption from the ban, citing educational value, but reversed this in July 2025 after a key regulator found it was the most cited platform for harmful content exposure among kids.
Social media is now banned for young people under 16 (13 with parental permission) in Australia, and the change in the law has been met with unanimous praise. Several countries have
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