SYDNEY: Australia on Wednesday became the first country to ban social media for children under 16, blocking access to platforms including TikTok, Alphabet’s YouTube and Meta’s Instagram and Facebook.
Ten of the biggest platforms were ordered to block children from midnight (1300 GMT on Tuesday) or face fines of up to A$49.5 million ($33 million) under the new law, which drew criticism from major technology companies and free speech advocates, but was welcomed by many parents and child-safety campaigners.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called it “a proud day” for families and framed the law as evidence that policymakers can curb online harms that have long outpaced traditional safeguards.
“This is the day when Australian families are taking back power from these big tech companies,” Albanese told ABC News. “New technology can do wonderful things but we need to make sure that humans are in control of our own destiny, and that is what this is about.”
In a video message, Albanese encouraged children to “start a new sport, new instrument, or read that book that has been sitting there for some time on your shelf,” ahead of Australia’s summer school break later this month.
In the hours before the ban took effect, many of the estimated one million children affected by the legislation began posting farewell messages to their online followers.
“No more social media… no more contact with the rest of the world,” one teen wrote on TikTok.
“#seeyouwhenim16,” another said.
The rollout concludes a year-long debate over whether any country could realistically stop children from using platforms embedded in daily life, and begins a global test case for governments frustrated by the slow pace of safety measures from social media companies.
Albanese’s centre-left government pushed the landmark legislation citing research linking excessive social media use among young teens to mental-health harms, bullying, misinformation, and damaging body-image content.
Countries from Denmark to New Zealand to Malaysia have already signalled they may study or replicate Australia’s model, making the nation an early experiment in how far age-gating can go without stifling speech or innovation.
‘NOT OUR CHOICE’: X SAYS IT WILL COMPLY
Elon Musk’s X became the last of the 10 major platforms to take steps to block access for under-16s after publicly acknowledging on Wednesday that it would comply.
“It’s not our choice, it’s what the Australian law requires,” X said on its website. “X automatically offboards anyone who does not meet our age requirements.”
Australian authorities said the initial list of platforms covered by the law will evolve as new products emerge and young users migrate. Social media companies have told Canberra they will use a mix of age-inference technology estimating a user’s age based on behaviour selfie-based age estimation, and additional checks such as uploaded ID documents or linked bank-account details.
For major social media businesses, the shift marks the arrival of a new era of structural stagnation, as user numbers among young demographics plateau and time spent online declines. Platforms say they earn little revenue from advertising to under-16s but warn the ban disrupts their pipeline of future users. Before the ban, 86% of Australians aged eight to 15 were on social media, according to government data.
Some young people fear the ban will deepen social isolation.
“It’s going to be worse for queer people and people with niche interests, I guess, because that’s the only way they can find their community,” said 14-year-old Annie Wang ahead of the ban.
“Some people also use it to vent their feelings and talk to people to get help… So I feel like it’ll be fine for some people, but for some people it’ll worsen their mental health.”
-Byron Kaye
