As of today (10 December), Australian teens (under 16) have been kicked off social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, X, Twitch and more.
The ban comes after Nova radio host Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli and Finch CEO Rob Galluzzo launched the ’36 months’ campaign, advocating for the minimum age of social media use to rise from 13 to 16 in response to escalating mental health concerns among young Australians. The campaign quickly garnered national attention, including the prime minister Anthony Albanese and then opposition leader Peter Dutton.
A ‘great day’ for Australia
The PM addressed ABC News Breakfast this morning saying: “This is a great day, and I’m very proud to be the Australian prime minister on a day in which Australian families parents have campaigned for this young people themselves have said, ‘enough is enough’”.
He also joined Seven’s Sunrise to explain why the government has implemented the ban.
“This has come from parents who have taken personal tragedies,” he said in the video below. “Technology has done wonderful things for our lives, but we need to keep in contol of it. And this is about families taking back control.”
Communications Minister Anika Wells told Nova FM that “the transition is going to be rough”.
“We hope that teens will very soon be feeling the effects of real world connection and not feeling so shackled to those online lives,” she said.
Wells addressed parents, giving them guidance on how to tackle any backlash from disgruntled teens.
“This isn’t me doing this to you,” she said. “This is the Australian government. The Australian government is the first in the world to do this and we’re doing it for really good reason, because we know that this is causing mental health harm to you and your friends, and everybody who has been caught up in these addictive algorithms online”.
The eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant said: “Enforcing a minimum account age of 16 will create normative change and give young people a reprieve from powerful and persuasive design features built to keep them hooked, often enabling harmful content and conduct online.
“We recognise no single safety measure is a silver bullet but restricting social media accounts for under 16s is part of a holistic approach that includes eSafety’s education and outreach; our complaint schemes; our role ensuring industry transparency and compliance with unlawful and age-restricted material codes and standards; and our work promoting Safety by Design.
“On this historic day, I urge all Australians to visit eSafety.gov.au to access our comprehensive online safety resources, including our social media minimum age information hub for educators, parents and young people themselves.”
Teething problems
There have already been some teething problems with the ban’s rollout, including reports of under-16s managing to pass facial age-assurance checks created by the platforms in response to the ban. The Australian government has acknowledged these challenges, noting they were prepared for some initial implementation issues.
Reddit, despite calling the ban “legally erroneous” and “arbitrary”, confirmed it will comply in the days leading up to the ban. Several major platforms, including Meta, TikTok, and YouTube, began purging under-16 accounts weeks in advance of the deadline.
Compliance timelines and methods vary, with some platforms using facial-age checks, document-based verification, or other age-screening tools.
X (formerly Twitter) was initially one of the most prominent platforms to holdout, and has not previously stated how if, and how, it would implement the ban as the deadline approached. At the eleventh hour, X said it will require Australian users to verify their age, and under-16 accounts will be restricted.
The government has acknowledged that enforcement may not be perfect from day one, meaning some accounts may temporarily slip through. The law does not impose a strict accuracy standard for age verification; platforms simply need to demonstrate they’ve made a “reasonable” effort.
Could the ban expand?
Looking ahead, the ban has the potential to expand, adding emerging social media platforms to the ban, although Albanese has not yet confirmed whether secondary platforms such as Lemon8 will be included. Platforms such as Lemon8 have exploded in popularity as the ban drew closer and the eSafety Commissioner is said to be monitoring the situation.
The world-first move in Australia has sparked international attention, with policymakers suggesting similar measures should be considered in countries including Malaysia, Indonesia, New Zealand and Denmark. In the UK, former Conservative MP and schools minister Baron John Nash praised the ban as, “Australia making a brave stand, banning children under 16 from social media”, while noting that the European Parliament backs the idea.
Meanwhile, American Democratic lawmaker Rahm Emanuel has called for countries to follow Australia’s example to better protect young people online.
The ban has also received praise from A-list TV host and producer, Oprah Winfrey, claiming Australia “leads the way for the rest of the world” in terms of combatting rising concerns in youth mental health.
“There are all of these young people who cannot actually communicate or have a conversation, particularly young boys because they become addicted to porn so early and don’t know how to actually ask somebody out on a date, haven’t experienced the socialisation of talking to a real person” said Winfrey.
For many under-16 Australians, access to these platforms has been cut, including posting, messaging and personalising accounts. For parents, educators and policymakers, the ban presents a major test.
Some argue it is a landmark step toward protecting the mental health of young people, while others warn it could push young people toward unregulated and harder-to-monitor online spaces.
