- From November 2025, under-16s will not be allowed to access social media
- Social media platforms face huge fines if they don’t comply
- TikTok could still be banned in the US in 2025
Senators in Australia have passed a law that means under-16s will not be allowed to have social media accounts.
Blanket ban
The law is set to come into force in November next year. It will mean children younger than 16 will not be able to have accounts on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, X (everyone still calls it Twitter), Snapchat and Reddit.
Currently, most social media platforms have age limits of less than 16 – Facebook and Instagram have a self-imposed minimum age of 13, for instance, but it is known that children younger than that operate accounts.
Social media companies could be liable for fines of up to AUS$50 million if they are found to not stop children from possessing accounts. They now have a year to implement the ban – including things like robust age verification processes – before it comes into force.
Earlier in the year, when the ban was first discussed, Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, said would rather give parents tools to support young people on its platforms, rather than implementing a blanket ban.
Countries watching
Other countries around the world will be watching how the ban fares in Australia before making a judgement themselves. The UK, for one, wants tighter regulation of social media.
Meanwhile, the US, TikTok could still be banned next year if its owner, Chinese company ByteDance doesn’t sell the platform to a non-Chinese company. Congress approved the move earlier in the year – it had support from Democrats and Republications – although TikTok is fighting this in the courts. It also remains to be seen if incoming president Donald Trump blocks the legislation; he has said a ban would unfairly benefit Facebook.
