The digital world as we know it is about to change. In late 2024, the Australian government proposed a bold new law that would see kids and teens under 16 banned from social media. A new update has revealed that the world-first law will come into effect this December – changing the game for young users.
In October 2024, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the draft legislation aimed at mitigating the mental health toll social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat are having on young Australians. The federal government had been developing the proposal for this social media ban for some time, but was prompted to accelerate its announcement after South Australia revealed its own plan to ban social media for all children under 14. This nationwide legislation will keep things consistent across the country and avoid a fragmented approach with different rules in each state.
The world-first law was passed through parliament with bipartisan support in December 2024, with the new social media age restrictions set to come into effect from early December 2025. While the government hasn’t confirmed the platforms included in the ban, it applies to those designed primarily for social interaction between users and those that allow users to post content. We can infer that this will include Facebook, Instagram, X, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube.
Social media platforms will be exempt from the ban if their main purpose is messaging, emailing, voice or video calling, online gaming, professional development, education or health communication. In theory, this means platforms like LinkedIn and WhatsApp could be excluded. YouTube Kids may also be exempt from the ban, given it doesn’t allow kids to comment on videos or upload content – though this is yet to be confirmed.
Under the new law, social media companies will be responsible for enforcing the age restrictions – or face fines of up to $50 million – but children or parents who bypass the ban won’t face any penalties. It’s expected that platforms may turn to banks and mobile providers to confirm a user is over 18, use AI-powered facial age estimation or require users to upload a photo that’s matched against official photo ID. We expect more details to be unveiled by the eSafety Commissioner in the lead-up to December.