The Australian government’s landmark legislation to protect children and young teenagers from the potential harms of social media is set to become law on December 10, 2025.
On November 7, 2024, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese first announced his plans to introduce a nationwide minimum age requirement for social media access.
“This one is for the mums and dads… They, like me, are worried sick about the safety of our kids online. I want Australian families to know that the government has your back,” Mr Albanese said.
Both major parties backed the social media ban, and the legislation was passed on November 29, 2024.
Australia is now the first country to ban children under 16 from using social media.
A year on, as the law is about to take effect, read on for all the details about how this social media ban will work…
Is social media being banned?
No, social media is not being banned in Australia. However, this new law will restrict access for children and teenagers under the age of 16.
This age limit will apply broadly to popular platforms, dubbed “age-restricted social media platforms” in the proposed Online Safety Act. This includes Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat, as well as other platforms classified as “social media” by the law.
On November 22, 2024, Communications Minister Michelle Rowland clarified some of the bills’ inclusions. Michelle confirmed that the ban would not apply to messaging services like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger, and exemptions would be made for social media sites used for education and health, such as Headspace, Kids Helpline, Google Classroom and YouTube. A year on, and Twitch (a streaming and communication platform owned by Amazon) was added to the list.
Social media platforms that flout the new law or fail to keep under-16-year-olds off their platforms could face fines of up to $50 million.
What’s the controversy with YouTube?
Controversially, in March 2025, it was revealed that instead of a public process, the government privately issued a discussion paper to major stakeholders, i.e. the social media platforms. In this paper, it is stated that YouTube was exempt from the ban. It categorised YouTube differently from other educational apps and asked the stakeholders for feedback on whether YouTube should be excluded.
This angered Meta (which owns and operates Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) and TikTok, as they argue that excluding YouTube gives the platform an unfair advantage in the market. They also say that excluding YouTube is inconsistent, as Meta and TikTok both offer similar short-form video content.
Meta called the exemption a “mockery of the Government’s stated intention” to protect young users. TikTok compared the exemption to banning all soft drinks except Coca-Cola. Both platforms and others believe this could be favouritism for YouTube.
However, in June 2025, the eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, advised that YouTube should be treated like other social media platforms and not be exempt from the proposed ban on social media use for under-16s.
Furthermore, she said that granting YouTube an exemption now could complicate matters in the future when platforms will undoubtedly evolve with society.
Instead, she recommended removing YouTube from the draft entirely and avoiding naming specific platforms, to futureproof the rules and ensure they remain flexible and focused on child safety.
In fact, on 30 July 2025, news broke that YouTube would not be exempt, despite Google threatening to sue the Australian Government.
“We can’t control the ocean, but we can police the sharks, and that is why we will not be intimidated by legal threats when this is a genuine fight for the well-being of Australian kids,” said Communications Minister Anika Wells in a statement.
Why should social media be banned for under-16s?
Mr Albanese cited concerns about the negative impact of social media on young people’s mental health as a primary motivation behind the new law.
“Social media is causing harm to our kids, and I’m calling time on it,” he said.
How old must you be to use social media in Australia?
Under the new law, Australians must be at least 16 years of age to access social media platforms.
Currently, some platforms have a minimum age of 13. However, the Albanese government will increase this threshold. The government has cited the challenges younger users face in navigating complex online spaces safely.
The new social media ban is expected to come into effect within the next 12 months, giving platforms ample time to implement technical solutions for age verification. However, whether this is enough time for this action to happen is another conversation.
It has also been announced that this new law will not allow “grandfathering,”. This means that underage users on social media will have their access removed once it comes into force.
Conversely, Victoria has proposed new laws to sentence children as young as 14 as adults for certain violent offences, such as home invasions or carjacking. In the county court, those sentences can be up to 25 years for violent crimes, meaning a life sentence. Similarly, in Queensland, children as young as 10 could be sentenced as adults for violent crimes.
So, children under 16 could be charged as adults if they commit violent crimes, but they won’t be allowed on Facebook.
How will the social media ban work?
The only feasible way it could work is if both the government and the social media companies had access to users’ privacy data. This is a concerning thought to many.
At this stage, it looks like the responsibility for enforcement will rest with social media companies. The big question is regarding data. How will the social media companies (or the government) be able to verify a user’s age, and where will that data be stored?
In short, we don’t know what data will be needed, how it will be sourced, or where it will be stored and verified.
The government has yet to outline the plan. The rules, including exemptions, will be decided in a private consultation process with all stakeholders before the law comes into effect in December 2025.
In November 2025, Meta (operator of Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram) warned that there would be issues with the law.
“Meta expects there will be a margin of error both above and below when attempting to estimate age.”
Roblox launches “Age Checks”
In a world first, popular online gaming platform Roblox is launching age verification checks in Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands ahead of the social media ban. It’s slated to launch in early December 2025.
It’s rolling out “facial age checks” to support “age-based chat and limits communication between minors and adults”. The way this works is that users have to upload footage of themselves for verification, which is then deleted afterwards. Once the footage is reviewed, users are put in an age group and can only communicate with users in the same or adjacent age groups. For instance, if someone is in the 9-12 age group, they can only chat with those in the same group or the under-9 age group or the 13-15 age group. They can’t talk with anyone in the older age groups unless they are a Trusted Connection, which users must manually set up.
Users cannot access any communication features on the platform without doing an age check. Chat features are not available at all for users under nine years old without parental consent for an age check.
“The Facial Age Estimation process is fast, secure, and completed through the Roblox app using the device’s camera. Images and video for age checks completed through Facial Age Estimation are processed by our vendor, Persona, and deleted immediately after processing. Age checks are completely optional; however, features like chat will not be accessible unless the age check is complete.”
See the video below for further explanation.
How will users’ data be protected?
The government has promised “robust” protections for users’ data, but is passing the buck to the social media companies to figure it out. Like with Roblox, who promise they are deleting footage afterwards.
Furthermore, the government have stated that once the user’s age is verified, “it [the collected data] must be destroyed by the platform (or any third party contracted by the platform)”. Non-compliance will result in a $50 million fine under the Privacy Act. So, essentially, it would require a centralised database. The social media giants and third-party verification services would use it to link up individual social media accounts to real identities.
There’s no confirmation on how these parties would verify a person’s age. Most likely by viewing government-issued documents like passports or driving licences. So they would be part of the data on this database. There’s also a clause that allows for a future minister to expand on other requirements without legislation.
How will the social media ban be enforced?
The tech giants will be required to take “reasonable steps” to prevent users under 16 years of age from accessing their platforms.
Plus, as aforementioned, if they don’t comply, social media companies could face fines of up to $50 million.
“Age-restricted users” will not be penalised if they manage to open an account, and even the tech giants won’t be on the hook for fines if there are individuals who flout the ban. They would only be fined for “systematic” failures of the new “systems and processes” that the government will be expecting them to build.
“This is a landmark reform,” Mr Albanese said in a statement. “We know some kids will find workarounds, but we’re sending a message to social media companies to clean up their act.”
The eSafety commissioner will be in charge of ensuring compliance and issuing penalties to platforms that fail to uphold the law.
What should you and your children do to prepare for the social media ban?
Most parents and grandparents grew up without social media, so they may have an impression that this isn’t a big deal for children. However, it is. For children and teenagers who have grown up with social media, this is where their friends are, where they play games, socialise, and stay informed. Although social media has a dark side, it has a bright side as well.
It is a community, and under-16-year-olds are about to lose access to their community. It’s understandably frustrating.
1. Download your data
First and foremost, if your children have any photos or videos, conversations, etc. that they have posted on their social media accounts that they would like to keep, they should download them now to keep them safe. Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat all offer an option to download data.
As we don’t know how the various social media platforms will implement this ban, we shouldn’t assume that their accounts will be safe. They may be deleted. They may be archived. Or, they could be frozen until they turn of age.
Acting now, ahead of the ban, will enable users to protect their content.
2. Set up communication lines
If your child has a smartphone and wants to keep communicating with their other friends who also have smartphones, get the parents involved and have the kids swap phone numbers.
If you have a family group message on a social media platform, switch it to off-platform to iMessage or another provider.
Controversial, but consider getting a landline! A central line for all household members to make and receive phone calls.
If your child is a member of a group which organises its events using Facebook Groups, ask them to ensure they move off-platform. Suggest a newsletter list to keep everyone connected.
What other countries are banning social media?
Many countries are considering following in Australia’s footsteps by implementing a social media ban. Malaysia, Spain, Norway, France, Italy, South Korea, Greece, and now Denmark have all proposed similar age-restricted bans. Currently, France, Italy, Spain and Norway require parental consent for children to have social media.
What’s next for the social media ban?
After the law comes into effect, changes will likely be made. As we learn more about the process, how we all use social media is likely to change with the ban.
Other countries are ramping up child protective measures. The Data Protection Commission in Ireland created an ad as part of its campaign “Pause Before You Post”, which has been praised at home and abroad. The ad shows a mum and a dad, and their child Eabha (Ava) as they walk through a shopping mall. As they browse, strangers keep addressing their daughter and know intimate details about her life, like how much fun she had at her birthday and how her dad is always late for football practice. Revealing that they know these things because her parents are sharing them on their social media accounts.
More education in this space is definitely warranted. And we are likely to see something similar roll out here.
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