Australia has officially enacted a sweeping law banning children under 16 from holding accounts on major social media platforms. As of December 10, 2025, platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, YouTube, Reddit, X (formerly Twitter), Twitch, Threads and Kick must block under-16s or face fines of up to A$49.5 million.
The ban stems from amendments to the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024, which require platforms to take “reasonable steps” to prevent under-16 users from maintaining or creating accounts. Meta has already begun removing underage accounts from Instagram, Threads and Facebook to comply.
Under the new rules, platforms may use a variety of verification methods from AI-based age estimation to document checks though they cannot mandate official ID as the sole verification method.
For many teens, the impact is immediate: millions lost access to their social media accounts overnight. While some families support the move on safety and mental-health grounds, critics warn the ban could exacerbate isolation especially for vulnerable youth who rely on online communities for connection.
