Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Thursday that the government will move to ban children under the age of 16 from using social media, citing the significant harm caused by platforms like Facebook and TikTok.
Under the proposed plan, tech companies would be held accountable for enforcing the age limit, with heavy fines imposed if they fail to prevent young users from accessing their platforms, Albanese said.
Australia is positioning itself as a leader in the global push to regulate social media, with this new age limit among the strictest proposed measures aimed at protecting children.
“This is for the mums and dads out there,” Albanese said outside Parliament. “Social media is doing real harm to kids, and I’m calling time on it.”
The government will present the new laws to state and territory leaders later this week, with the aim of introducing them to Parliament by late November. Once the laws are passed, tech platforms will be given a one-year grace period to implement the ban.
“The responsibility will fall on social media platforms to prove they are taking reasonable steps to prevent access,” Albanese explained, describing the reform as “world-leading.” “The onus won’t be on parents or young people to monitor this.”
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, responded by stating that it would “respect any age limitations the government wants to introduce.” However, Meta’s head of safety, Antigone Davis, cautioned that Australia should be careful in how the laws are enacted, warning that poorly designed restrictions could lead to ineffective outcomes, with teens and parents not benefiting from the changes.
Industry group DIGI, representing platforms like Snapchat, echoed similar concerns, arguing that a ban could hinder young people’s access to vital mental health support. “Swimming has risks, but we don’t ban young people from the beach—we teach them to swim between the flags,” a DIGI spokesperson said.
TikTok declined to comment on the proposal at this stage.
Social media platforms, once hailed for connecting people, have faced increasing scrutiny over issues like cyberbullying, the spread of harmful content, and misinformation. Albanese pointed to the disturbing content that can appear on social media, saying, “I get things popping up on my system that I don’t want to see. Let alone a vulnerable 14-year-old.”
The prime minister also highlighted the impact of harmful body image representations on young women, stressing the need for action.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland echoed Albanese’s concerns, stating that social media companies have repeatedly failed to meet their obligations to protect users. “Social media companies have been put on notice. They need to ensure their practices are made safer,” Rowland said at a press briefing alongside Albanese. She also warned that platforms like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter) could face financial penalties if they don’t comply with the new regulations.
Although Rowland did not specify the exact size of the fines, analysts have noted that penalties in the range of $600,000 (AU$1 million) would be far too small to deter major tech companies with revenues in the billions.
Experts have raised concerns about the technical feasibility of enforcing an age ban, given the current limitations of age verification systems. Toby Murray, a researcher at the University of Melbourne, pointed out that existing methods are often unreliable, too easy to bypass, or potentially infringe on user privacy.
The government is also working on creating exemptions for platforms like YouTube, which teenagers may need for educational purposes.
In recent years, Australia has stepped up efforts to regulate tech giants, with mixed results. A bill to combat misinformation was introduced earlier this year, giving the government broader powers to fine companies that fail to meet online safety requirements. The country has also sought to ban non-consensual deepfake pornography, but efforts to regulate content on Elon Musk’s X have been stalled by ongoing legal challenges. Musk has previously accused the Australian government of “fascist” behavior in response to their efforts to curb fake news.
In 2023, France enacted similar laws requiring social media platforms to verify users’ ages and obtain parental consent for users under 15.
