Australia Bans Social Media For Kids Under 16

"Starting on December 10, it will be illegal for Australian kids under the age of 16 to have social media accounts - and the onus to uphold those laws will fall to tech companies like Meta and X. This will be the first overarching ban of social media for kids in any country in which parental consent cannot override the law. The government has stated that the ban is to protect children's wellbeing, mental health, and physical safety, citing that social media companies have not done enough to keep kids safe on their sites."

"Children who already have social media accounts are being asked to download any media that they want to keep before losing access to their accounts later this month. And tech companies have already been working on how they will abide by the new social media laws via avenues like ID checks and facial age estimation software. Companies who do not take "reasonable" steps to keep kids off their platforms will face up to $32 million in fines."

"Will the social media ban work? Experts agree that there's no way to know at this point. Kids are notorious for finding ways around not being allowed in certain corners of the internet. And it's not in the best interests of tech companies to keep kids away from their services. But even if it's not perfect, or even if there are some issues along the way, Australian lawmakers seem determined to do something about the well-documented negative affects of social media on young kids. "We will not be intimidated by legal challenges. We will not be intimidated by Big Tech. On behalf of Australian parents, we stand firm," Communications Minister Anika Wells told Parliament according to ABC News."

Starting December 10, Australia will prohibit children under 16 from having social media accounts and assign enforcement responsibility to tech companies. Parental consent cannot override the ban. The measure covers major social platforms while excluding some semi-social services like gaming platforms and AI chatbots. Children with existing accounts are advised to download desired media before losing access. Tech firms are preparing ID checks and facial age estimation to comply, and noncompliance could trigger fines up to $32 million. Experts say the ban's effectiveness is uncertain because children can circumvent restrictions and companies may lack incentive to block them. Lawmakers express determination to address harms to young people.

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