Australia Enforces Teen Social Media Ban From Dec 10: Check What’s Allowed And What’s Banned

Australia Teen Social Media Ban:Australia has become the first country in the world to implement a nationwide ban on social media platforms for users under the age of 16, with the new rules officially coming into effect from December 10. The move marks a significant shift in how governments regulate young people’s access to online platforms and is being closely watched by countries around the world.

The ban was introduced under the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024, which was passed by the Australian Parliament a year ago. Unlike previous approaches that placed responsibility on parents or children, the Australian law makes social media companies legally responsible for enforcing the restrictions.

Platforms Affected By The Ban

Under the new law, children under 16 are no longer allowed to create or maintain accounts on major platforms. Companies have begun deactivating existing accounts and blocking new registrations for underage users. The affected platforms include Instagram, Facebook, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, X, Snapchat, Reddit, Kick, and Twitch.

Tech giants, including Meta, have already started removing hundreds of thousands of accounts that were identified as belonging to under-16 users. Companies that fail to comply face fines of up to USD 33 million.

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What’s Still Allowed

Not all digital platforms fall under the ban. Services primarily designed for messaging, gaming, or child-friendly use have been excluded. These include WhatsApp, Messenger, Discord, Roblox, YouTube Kids, and Pinterest.

Underage users can still view publicly available content without creating accounts. The restrictions apply only to account creation and use, not passive viewing.

How The Age Checks Work

To enforce the law, platforms must now rely on age verification and age-estimation technologies rather than simply trusting the birthdate entered by users. Services such as k-ID have been deployed to conduct hundreds of thousands of age checks in recent weeks, with platforms like Snapchat already using such tools. 

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