Children under the age of sixteen are prohibited from using social media in Australia

Social media companies must take “reasonable steps” starting on December 10 to prevent Australian under-16s from creating accounts on their sites and to remove or deactivate existing ones.

The government claims that the world-first policy, which is well-liked by many parents, is intended to lessen the “pressures and risks” that kids may encounter on social media due to “design features that encourage them to spend more time on screens, while also serving up content that can harm their health and wellbeing”.

96% of youngsters between the ages of 10 and 15 utilized social media, and seven out of ten of them had been exposed to dangerous information and behavior, according to a government-commissioned study earlier this year. Misogynistic content, combat videos, and content encouraging eating disorders and death were all examples of this behavior.

More than half indicated they had been the targets of cyberbullying, and one in seven said they had encountered grooming-like behavior from adults or older kids. Ten networks have so far been identified by the Australian government as being prohibited: Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube, Reddit, and the streaming services Kick and Twitch.

Additionally, there is demand to extend the prohibition to online gaming. In an apparent attempt to avoid being included in the ban, gaming platforms like Roblox and Discord have recently implemented age checks on some functions out of fear of being targeted.

The government has stated that it will keep reviewing the list of impacted platforms, taking into account three key factors. These include whether the platform’s only or “significant purpose” is to facilitate online social contact between two or more users; if it permits users to submit content; and whether it permits users to communicate with some or all other users.

Social media companies are responsible for enforcing the ban, and they might be fined up to $49.5 million (US$32 million, £25 million) for major or persistent violations. Parents and children will not be punished for breaking the prohibition. The government requires these businesses to deploy age-assurance tools and take “reasonable steps” to keep children off their platforms, but it doesn’t indicate which ones.

Government IDs, voice or facial recognition, and age inference are just a few of the options that have been brought up. The latter of these estimates an individual’s age using online data other than a date of birth, such as online interactions or behavior.

Platforms are encouraged by the government to employ a variety of techniques. Additionally, it has stated that platforms cannot rely on parents attesting to their children’s age or on individuals claiming their own age.

Facebook, Instagram, and Threads’ parent company, Meta, has declared that it will start terminating teen accounts on December 4. According to the firm, those who were wrongly thrown off might prove their age using a video selfie or a government ID. According to Snapchat, users can estimate their age by taking a selfie or using bank accounts or photo IDs to confirm their age.