Table of Contents
By Brady Jones
Taking effect on 10th of December, Australian youths under 16 years of age will be bannedfrom major social media platforms–– Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, X, Reddit andYouTube. The government has introduced this law as a protective measure for children fromcyberbullying, online addiction and damaging content. It's a decision made back in lateNovember of 2024, after the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) passedin Parliament. The law officially assented on 10th of December 2024, coming into forceexactly a year later.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says,“Social media is doing social harm to our children,and I want Australian parents to know that we have their backs.” With the current age at 13,after this law children will be given three more years during a critical stage of cognitive development and decision-making. It not only allows children time to build in-person connections but also parents to have confidence in providing support and supervision online. It’s time to give kids back their childhood.
While some experts argue that digital literacy education and parental support could be moreeffective than a blanket ban, it's important to remember how young these children are. The Minister for Communications Anika Wells says “We want kids to know who they are before platforms assume who they are.” The reality is, no matter how much education and family support we give children, it is them, alone against whatever an algorithm can throw at them. Unrestricted, uncensored and highly damaging. This is happening right now, and it's near impossible to monitor your child’s every move, on these high speed and volatile platforms. Another looming criticism is whether this ban could push kids to more dangerous parts of the internet, and potentially unsafe platforms. However, it is important to remember this ban is a first point of action in addressing a longstanding global problem for minors. Unfortunately, in this current reality of a digital age, there is no future-proofing to keep our kids 100% safe –– but this action is a positive step forward, from which we can expect future developments.
Delving in, the aforementioned social media platforms must implement “reasonable steps” to prevent under 16 year olds from creating or maintaining accounts. Platforms will also be required to deactivate existing accounts held by this age group. Fines are expected to reach $49.5–50 million per breach if platforms do not comply with these guidelines. For children and parents, no fines or penalties will take effect for breaches.
Initially, exemptions were expected for education, health, messaging or online gaming–– such as YouTube, WhatsApp, Messenger Kids, Google Classroom, and Kids Helpline. However, the government has since reversed this exemption for YouTube following advice from the eSafety Commissioner and evidence of children being exposed to harmful content. This means YouTube will face the ban, with under 16 year olds not allowed to hold accounts, but still able to view content if they wish.
There are still ongoing technology trials to determine the nature of age-verification processes, finding a solution that is the least intrusive and most effective for everyone. Social media platforms may use methods such as photo ID, facial age estimation, AI or verification by mobile or banking providers. Government ID’s won’t be mandatory, as alternatives are required. Concerns over privacy and data collection risks have arisen from this, sparking conversations around biometric misuse. To verify age for uses besides the restriction, platforms will not be allowed to use information without the user’s consent. As stated in a Government released fact sheet in July 2025, robust privacy protection will be established, alongside the required destruction of information following its use.
This ban will shake up online communities for the better, and allow our kids to build resilience before facing the online world of social media.
