Australia on Wednesday, 10 December, 2025 becomes the first country in the world to ban under 16 children from the use of social media, blocking access in a move welcomed by many parents and child advocates, but criticised by major technology companies and free speech advocates.
Starting at midnight 1300 GMT on Tuesday, 10 of the largest platforms including Tik – Toks, Alphabet’s ( GOOGL. 0, You Tube, Meta’s ( META Instagram, facebook, Threads, X, Snapchat, Raddot, Kick, Twitch were ordered to block under 16 s children or face fines of up to A$49.5 million ( US$ 33 million) under the new law, which is been closely watched by regulators worldwide.
Apart from removing accounts held by users under 16 years of age in Australia, they will also prevent these teens from registering new accounts. Platforms that did not comply risk huge fines.
The Australian Government passed a new law called the Online Safety Amendment ( Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024 on 28 November 2024.
This law introduces a mandatory minimum age of 16 for accounts on social media platforms. Which took effect from 10th December 2025, and parents can not give consent or let under 16 use these platforms.
Government says the Social media ban is needed to protect the mental wellbeing of Australian children and teens. They believe the risk associated with social media, such as cyber bullying, harmful content, and online predators outweigh the positives.
