Social media ban for minors: Facebook, Instagram and TikTok restricted for under-16s under new law

Sydney (The Uttam Hindu): The Australian government has taken a historic and drastic step to strengthen children's online safety and protect their mental health. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced that no child under the age of 16 will be allowed to use social media platforms in the country.

This new and strict rule will come into effect across the country from December 10, 2025. After this, no minor (under 16 years of age) will be able to create a new account or operate their existing account on all major platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, Reddit and Kik.

Announcing the decision, Prime Minister Albanese said the move was essential to protect children's mental health and overall development. He stressed, "The digital world cannot jeopardize children's futures."

The government's goal with this law is to protect children from harmful content and reduce the ill effects of excessive screen time. The Prime Minister explained that global research has shown that prolonged social media use contributes to serious problems such as anxiety, sleep deprivation, and poor concentration.

The biggest challenge in implementing this law will be age verification. Communications Minister Michel Rous stated that social media companies will have to resort to advanced technologies to ensure compliance with this law. Users may be required to submit government ID or other official documents, and age will also be estimated through biometric methods such as facial recognition or voice analysis. Furthermore, age can also be estimated by analyzing a user's word choice, browsing patterns, or network connections (behavior-based estimation).

Communications Minister Anika Wells clarified that while these methods will not be 100 percent accurate, it would be a crime for companies not to try.