Australia heralds what would be an enormous shift, if it ends up working: the Australian government has approved the world’s first ban for social media use for those under the age of sixteen.
From 10 December, social media companies must take “reasonable steps” to ensure that these minors cannot set up accounts on their platforms.
Existing accounts will be deactivated.
Many parents are thrilled.
The purpose?
It’s meant to reduce the “pressures and risks” children can be exposed to on social media, which are the result of “design features that encourage them to spend more time on screens, while also serving up content that can harm their health and wellbeing”.
A study commissioned by the Australian government demonstrated that seven out of 10 children had been exposed to harmful content (like misogynistic material, fight videos, content promoting eating disorders and suicide) and behaviour.
One in seven children also reported experiencing grooming-type behaviour from adults or older children.
Over half said they had been the victims of cyberbullying.
The platforms in question are Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube, Reddit and streaming platforms Kick and Twitch.
In order to avoid being banned next, gaming platforms such as Roblox and Discord introduced age checks.
It’s likely that children will find the ban of games more painful than that of social media.
Here comes the important part: neither children nor parents will be penalized for accessing banned sites.
Social media companies will pay, unless they “take reasonable steps” towards age verification.
This will go beyond just a “click-to-enter if you are over 16” button. They may include government IDs or face or voice recognition — which many find upsetting. The Australian government has assured that the new legislation would come with “strong protections” for personal data.
Easier said than done, some would say.
Meta has promptly declared that it intends to begin shutting down teen accounts in Australia from December 4, 2025.
Other platforms have pushed back, saying that isolating children would push them into dark areas of the Internet. Nevertheless, they will implement it, despite misgivings. Only Meta’s YouTube’s parent company, Google, is reportedly still considering whether to launch a legal challenge to the platform’s inclusion, informs the BBC.
Curiously, dating platforms have not been included in the ban, nor AI chatbots.
Others point out that teens who rely on social media for community will be left isolated, and argue that educating children about how to navigate social media would be more effective.
It also says platforms must offer an alternative to the use of governments IDs for age assurance.
