Australia Bans Under-16s from Social Media: Platform Reactions

Australia is implementing a significant new regulation that will fundamentally alter how young people access social media. Starting December 10th, major platforms will be required to remove accounts belonging to users under the age of 16 and prevent them from creating new ones. This policy, enacted through the Online Safety Amendment Bill, mandates that companies take “reasonable steps” to verify user ages, though the law does not prescribe a single method. The move aims to protect children’s mental health and give parents greater control, but it has sparked intense debate about its effectiveness and potential consequences.

The legislation applies to platforms whose primary function is user interaction, covering at least eleven major services including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, X, Reddit, and YouTube. It does not extend to standalone messaging apps like WhatsApp, online gaming services, or platforms such as Discord and Pinterest. While children can still browse content while logged out, they lose the ability to post, communicate, curate feeds, or receive notifications without an account.

A central challenge is age verification. The law prohibits platforms from relying solely on government ID and from collecting data from the verification process itself. Approved methods can include facial age estimation, checking account signals, or third-party services. Critics argue these systems are flawed and easily circumvented. Digital rights advocates warn the ban is a “quick fix” that could push young people toward less regulated parts of the internet and undermine privacy and free speech. Opponents also note that tech-savvy teens may use VPNs to bypass the restrictions entirely.

This Australian approach differs from regulations in other regions. The United Kingdom’s Online Safety Act focuses on age-gating specific harmful content rather than an outright ban. In the United States, several states have enacted their own age verification laws, with a growing trend toward placing the responsibility on app stores like those run by Apple and Google. The European Parliament has also shown support for a similar ban for users under 16, requiring parental permission for access.

Platforms are responding with a mix of compliance and criticism. Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, strongly opposes the law, calling blanket bans ineffective and isolating. The company is advocating for age verification to be handled at the device or app store level instead. YouTube will automatically sign out users under 16, blocking features like comments, uploads, and channel monetization. The platform argues this ironically makes it less safe by removing parental controls and wellbeing features.

Reddit will use an age prediction model and require suspected underage users in Australia to verify via ID or a selfie. Snapchat will lock accounts for three years, after which they can be reinstated, but disputes its classification as a social platform, insisting it is a visual messaging app. TikTok and its sister app Lemon8 will block under-16s from having accounts, using face scans or ID uploads for age assurance. Twitch and Kick are partnering with the age-check service k-ID to verify users through video selfies.

Notably, X, owned by Elon Musk, has been publicly critical and has not yet detailed a compliance plan, expressing “serious concerns” about the rule’s lawfulness. The company previously suggested the law could be a form of internet control.

The global tech industry is watching closely, as Australia’s sweeping ban could become a model for other nations grappling with how to protect children online. The coming months will reveal not only how effectively platforms enforce the rules, but also the real-world impact on youth culture, digital literacy, and online safety.

(Source: The Verge)