Australia’s world-first ban on social media for children under 16 will ensure children get the childhood they deserve, according to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Albanese on Tuesday (9 December) thanked Australia’s state and local leaders for their support over the social media ban, which will come into effect from Wednesday. He also acknowledged that this improvement will require some adjustments in the short term.
“This is the cultural change Australia needs to give parents greater peace of mind and ensure Australian children have a safe childhood,” he said. Under laws passed by Federal Parliament in November 2024, some social media platforms will have to take ‘reasonable steps’ to prevent children under 16 from creating accounts.
The government says that this will reduce the negative impact of social media. This encourages youth to spend more time on screens. They also show such content which can harm their health and development.
A study conducted by the government in early 2025 found that 96 percent of 10-15-year-olds used social media, and seven in 10 of them had been exposed to harmful content. This included misogynistic and violent material as well as content promoting eating disorders and suicide.
So far, 10 social media platforms have been directed to implement the ban, which includes Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, Twitch, X, YouTube, Kik and Reddit. Officials can update this list if needed. In a video message to be shown to students in schools across Australia, Albanese said the government had made the change to support children who have grown up with algorithms, social media feeds and the pressures associated with them, according to the report.
Under these laws, neither children nor their parents will be punished for violating the ban, the entire responsibility of implementing it will be on the social media platforms.
Platforms that commit serious or repeated violations will be fined up to 49.5 million Australian dollars (about $32.8 million). However, the government has acknowledged that it will take some time for the age verification technology to identify all minor accounts.
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