The under 16’s social media ban officially came into effect today, meaning teenage users will now have to verify their age or have their accounts put on hold.
From today, anyone under 16-years-old won’t be able to have or make accounts on social media apps and platforms like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, Facebook and more.
The responsibility of enforcement of the ban is on the social media companies to stop under 16’s having accounts or they will risk serious fines of up to $50 million.
The ban is the result of amendments to the Online Safety Act 2021 in late 2024 made to introduce a social media minimum age framework (SMMA).
“This will be one of the biggest social and cultural changes our nation has faced. It is profound reform which will be a source of national pride in years to come,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in the lead up to the ban.
“The onus will be on social media companies to ensure no child under 16 is on their platforms. If they have not taken reasonable steps to remove them, they will have broken Australian law and be subject to substantial fines.
“Social media companies have a social responsibility. That responsibility starts with the protection of Australian children.
“This is a world-leading move by Australia, and it is a change driven, overwhelmingly, by Australian parents.”
Shadow Minister for Communications Melissa McIntosh explained she wants to protect children but thinks the ban has been rushed into implementation.
“I’ve been warning for months now about the potential failure of this ban where the intention is to protect Australian children from online harm, whether it’s bullying or inappropriate online content,” McIntosh said.
“We all want to protect Australian children but the platforms are being dripped in over time. Just weeks ago, we had another one and we’re hearing now the Australian kids are migrating across to platforms which haven’t been included.
“Essentially, they’re not off social media at all.”
The age verification process will be different for each platform given it is up to their discretion. The one requirement from the Federal Government is that requesting ID cannot be the only form of age check.
“The Coalition has been very strong that we had no intention to enforce digital ID on Australians. Australians do not want this,” McIntosh said.
“If a platform cannot verify someone’s age using the technology of a third-party provider, they will compel Australians to use digital ID. The platforms themselves have told me this, they do not want to risk $50 million fines.
“A big question here is, where is that personal information of Australians’ driver’s licenses and birth certificate information being stored? It’s being stored offshore in offshore data centres.”
Albanese acknowledged there will be teething issues but said he has faith the ban will work.
“The eSafety Commissioner will begin collecting the data from platforms to check how many under 16s are on, and off, and this information will be made public,” he said.
“From the beginning, we’ve acknowledged this process won’t be 100 per cent perfect. But the message this law sends will be 100 per cent clear.”
NSW Libertarian MP John Ruddick has launched a high court challenge on the ban on the grounds of freedom of political communication, but the case has yet to be heard.
