Australia enforces social media ban for children under 16
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Australia has become the first country to ban social media access for children under 16.
Major platforms including TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook were ordered to block underage users from midnight.
Companies that fail to comply face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars.
The ban applies to ten large platforms. The government said the list may change as new services appear or as young users shift to other apps.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, there are about five million children under 16 in the country.
The decision follows rising concern about the impact of social media on children’s health and safety. The rollout also ends months of speculation about whether a country can successfully block children from using platforms that have become part of daily life.
Governments in Denmark, Malaysia, and several US states are watching the move closely and are considering similar rules.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a video message that the aim is to reduce pressure on young people. He urged students to use their school holidays to try new activities instead of scrolling through endless feeds.
Most platforms said they will comply by using tools such as age inference, age estimation from selfies, and verification through ID documents or linked bank accounts.
Elon Musk’s platform X was the only one that declined to commit. Musk said the ban could become a way to control internet access for all Australians. A High Court challenge is already underway and is led by a libertarian state lawmaker.
Tech companies and free speech advocates have criticised the ban.
They said it restricts rights and harms communities that depend on online spaces. Many parents and child safety advocates support the move.
Studies show that under-16s do not generate significant advertising revenue for platforms, but companies warn that losing access to young users disrupts their future growth.
Government data shows that 86 percent of Australians aged eight to fifteen used social media before the ban. Some young people worry about losing community and support networks.