Australia Enacts World-First Social Media Ban for Under-16s Amid Legal Challenges

Australia officially enacted landmark legislation on December 10, 2025, prohibiting individuals under the age of 16 from creating or maintaining accounts on designated social media platforms. This measure, established under the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024, aims to mitigate youth mental health risks associated with digital pressures, including exposure to harmful content, algorithmic addiction, and cyberbullying.

The eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, characterized the policy as a necessary delay to account access, intended to give young people time to develop digital literacy and resilience. Data from the eSafety Commissioner indicated that 96 percent of Australian children aged 10 to 15 used at least one social media platform, with seven in ten reporting exposure to harmful material and over half experiencing cyberbullying. Ten major digital services, including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube, Snapchat, Reddit, Threads, Twitch, and Kick, are now legally obligated to enforce the restriction.

Platforms face substantial financial penalties of up to 50 million Australian dollars, approximately $33 million USD, for non-compliance. Meta began proactively removing suspected underage users from December 4, while Google stated that users under 16 in Australia would be signed out of YouTube on the implementation date. The legislation places the compliance burden on the digital services, not on minors or their caregivers, as no penalties apply to the users themselves.

The implementation has encountered immediate complexities, with early reports citing successful age verification bypasses. Critics, including the Australian Human Rights Commission, have suggested less restrictive alternatives could achieve the protective aims. Furthermore, the mandate for robust age assurance creates a privacy paradox: platforms risk fines from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner for overly intrusive data collection, even as they face penalties from the eSafety Commissioner for insufficient checks.

Legal challenges have materialized, notably a suit filed by Reddit in the High Court arguing the law infringes upon Australia's implied constitutional freedom of political communication. Communications Minister Anika Wells affirmed the government's intent to stand firm against these challenges. Australia's decisive regulatory action is drawing keen observation internationally, with nations like Denmark and Norway studying the outcomes as they consider amending their own legislation regarding digital access for minors.