Australia has become the first country to ban social media for children under 16, blocking access to platforms including TikTok, Alphabet’s YouTube and Meta’s Instagram and Facebook from midnight.
Under the new law, ten of the largest platforms were required to block children starting at midnight on Wednesday (1300 GMT on Tuesday) or face fines of up to A$49.5 million ($33 million). The law was criticized by major technology companies and advocates for free speech, but parents and advocates for children welcomed it. The ban is being closely watched by other countries considering similar age-based measures amid growing concerns about the impact of social media on children’s health and safety.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated that the ban aimed to support young Australians and alleviate the pressure that can come from endless feeds and algorithms in a video message that Sky News Australia said would be played in schools this week. Make the most of the upcoming school breaks. Start a new sport, learn a new instrument, or read that book that has been on your shelf for a while instead of scrolling on your phone, he advised.
“And importantly, spend quality time with your friends and your family, face to face.”
Australia May Establish Priority A year of speculation about whether a nation can prevent children from using modern-day technology comes to an end with the rollout. Additionally, it marks the beginning of a live experiment that will be studied worldwide by lawmakers who are dissatisfied with the tech industry because, according to them, it is too slow to implement harm reduction measures. Tama Leaver, a Curtin University professor of internet studies, said, "While Australia is the first to adopt such restrictions, it is unlikely to be the last." “Governments all over the world are keeping an eye on how Big Tech's power was successfully subdued. The social media ban in Australia is very much the canary in the coal mine.”
Four years after a leak of internal Meta documents alleged the company knew its products contributed to body image problems among teenagers, governments from Denmark to Malaysia and even some states in the United States say they plan to take similar steps. Meta has said it has tools to protect children.
Social media usage stagnates lead to the BAN. The government said that the list would change as new products come out and younger users switch to alternatives. The ban initially applies to ten platforms. Of the initial 10, all but Elon Musk’s X have said they will comply using age inference – guessing a person’s age from their online activity – or age estimation, which is usually based on a selfie. They might also check with uploaded identification documents or linked bank account details.
Musk has said the ban “seems like a backdoor way to control access to the internet by all Australians” and most platforms have complained that it violates people’s right to free speech. An Australian High Court challenge overseen by a libertarian state lawmaker is pending.
For social media businesses, the implementation marks a new era of structural stagnation as user numbers flatline and time spent on platforms shrinks, studies show.
Platforms say they earn little from advertising to under-16s, but warn the ban disrupts a pipeline of future users. According to the government, 86% of Australians aged eight to fifteen used social media just before the ban went into effect. The ban on social media has been criticized by young people as having the potential to isolate individuals. Annie Wang, 14, stated prior to the ban, "It’ll be fine for some people, but for some people it’ll worsen their mental health." "It’s going to be worse for queer people and people with niche interests I guess because that’s the only way they can find their community," she said. "Some people also use it to vent their feelings and talk to people to get help."
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