How will Australia’s social media ban work? | Explained

The story so far: On December 10, Australia became the first country in the world to implement a social media ban on users under the age of 16. The ban blocks children from accessing nearly 10 big social platforms, including X and Facebook. Platforms that don’t comply with the new rules will face a fine of up to $33 million (A$49.5 million). Australia’s ban caps a year-long debate over whether governments can effectively stop teenagers from using social media platforms. Now, about half a dozen countries have signalled that they will study Australia’s new policy and see if they can emulate it.

What is the new law?

In November, 2024, the Australian government introduced the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024, which mandated a minimum age of 16 for accounts on certain social media platforms. The new law curtails parents giving consent to their children under 16 to use these platforms. The government’s rationale is that banning social media will protect the mental health and well-being of children. The government sees social media as a fertile ground for cyberbullying, harmful content generation, and online predatory practices.

How have social media firms responded?

Prior to the ban taking effect on December 10, Meta said it was sending warnings to thousands of Australian teenagers between ages 13 and 15, notifying them to download their digital history and delete their accounts. However, it is unclear whether the process has been completed as verification is a lengthy, multi-step undertaking. The country’s internet regulator, the Australian Communications and Media Authority, has noted that there are close to 1,50,000 Facebook users between 13 and 15 years, as well as 3,50,000 Instagram users. Meta’s actions are in line with the restrictions imposed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government on multiple social media platforms including TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, X, Reddit, Twitch and the livestreaming website Kick. These companies are required to take “reasonable steps” to keep underage users off their platforms, failing which they will face fines.

Despite doubts on whether regulation will lead to better mental health outcomes for children, companies are begrudgingly following instructions. A Meta spokesperson said that while they are committed to fulfilling the legal obligations, they have raised their concerns around the regulation, saying a “blanket ban” is hardly the solution. The company claimed this action will isolate teenagers from online communities and information while also giving “inconsistent protection.” Mr. Albanese has responded saying that given this is the first time a law like this is being passed, there will be flaws while implementing it.

How are social media firms verifying age?

Meta advised affected users to update their contact details so that the company can SMS or email them once they turn 16. Once these children cross the cut-off age, users can resume operating their accounts and find the same reels, posts, messages and short videos. Users can also choose to delete their account completely, if they wish. However, there is a fair chance that Meta might inaccurately flag a user as being under 16. An Age Estimation report published by the Australian government found that age verification systems using facial recognition showed false rejection rates higher than “acceptable levels”, at 8.5% and 2.6% respectively, for users of 16 and 17 years of age. In case accounts are incorrectly flagged, Meta has said that users can verify their age either with a government ID or a video selfie via the third-party facial age-verification platform Yoti. Critics have voiced concerns about the surveillance risks of checking children’s ages with age-verification technology.

What are the drawbacks?

Meta vice-president and global head of safety, Antigone Davis, stated that the company would like the app stores of Apple and Google Play to collect age-related data when users sign up, and verify whether they have reached 16 years on behalf of Meta. Ms. Davis added this would ensure a standard procedure and also maintain user privacy. Meta hasn’t disclosed what methods they will use to determine the ages of users, so that children under 16 don’t find a loophole through which to evade the ban. But varied options have been discussed, including government IDs, facial or voice recognition, or age inference methods that consider online user data like interactions to estimate a user’s age.

Gaming platforms like Roblox and Discord have recently been forced to introduce age restrictions for specific features, fearing that they could be potential targets.

Why has such a move been implemented?

The recent crusade by parents against social media platforms over their handling of teenagers accounts’ has exposed the extent to which they evaded responsibility. The court filings in a lawsuit against Meta and TikTok cited internal chats within these companies. “Instagram is a drug… we’re basically pushers,” Meta executives reportedly noted in a conversation. Meanwhile, an internal report at TikTok said that “minors did not have executive mental function to control their screen time.” The investigation also found that Meta had buried evidence linking higher usage of their platforms with “depression, anxiety, loneliness and social comparison.”