Australia has implemented world-first laws banning children under 16 from using social media platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok, a move Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has warned will be challenging for many families.
Social Media Ban Takes Effect in Australia
The ban, which officially took effect on Wednesday, requires at least 10 platforms to enforce the rules prohibiting accounts for those under 16. Albanese urged parents and children to discuss the new restrictions.
“This is the day when Australian families are taking back power from these big tech companies,” he said.
The prime minister acknowledged the transition would not be easy, stating that people had become “effectively” addicted to social media.
Social media platforms are expected to verify users’ ages through methods including facial scans using artificial intelligence, analysis of posting patterns and language, and digital IDs. While platforms like YouTube will remain accessible without an account, it will be more difficult for algorithms to target content to children.
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, responsible for enforcing the ban, said her agency would monitor platforms to determine how many children’s accounts had been removed, anticipating “some… teething issues.”
Fifteen-year-old Nick Leech expressed concern about maintaining contact with friends who live in other states. “I mainly use Snapchat to text them and talk to them, as well as stuff like Instagram and Facebook to know what’s happening in their lives,” he told AAP.
Leech is participating in a study by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and Deakin University to track the ban’s impact on young people. He added, “Social media has become such a big part in people’s lives, and … taking that away so suddenly is going to definitely cause some issues.”
The ban was updated a month before implementation to include Reddit and Kick. Apps Lemon8 and Yope were also warned they might be included due to children migrating to those platforms to avoid the restrictions.
Parents have expressed divided opinions on the new rules, with some viewing them as a necessary safety measure and others considering them an overreach of parental rights.
Abby Howells, a Canberra teacher, expressed hope the ban would help younger children, but only if it is effectively enforced. “I feel like my kids did this big experiment, you had this phone stuff … no one knows what it’s going to do to them,” she said.
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