Australia starts world-first social media ban for minors

Online accounts for swaths of Australian teenagers were deactivated as the country enacted the world’s first countrywide social media ban. The regulation took effect on Wednesday morning in Australia, where the time is about 16 hours ahead of the eastern United States. Lawmakers passed a bill last December barring users under the age of 16 from holding accounts on social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, X, Reddit, and Facebook.

The statute aims to protect children from the negative impacts of pervasive media use, like poor mental health and scrolling addiction. The law will protect the next generation from being sucked into digital purgatory by predatory, addictive algorithms, Communications Minister Anika Wells said in a speech.

How will the ban be enforced? Social media companies must enforce the ban or face over $30 million in fines. The law ordered companies to take reasonable steps to ensure Australian teens under 16 could not open accounts. Platforms planned to verify ages using bank information, government identification, and age-estimation technology.

• Meta started deactivating teen accounts days before the law’s formal enforcement, according to a company statement. The law did not apply to Messenger, and users under the age of 16 will still be able to use the messaging platform without a Facebook profile, Meta said.

• Snapchat released a November statement confirming it would comply with the law, but it voiced disagreement. Disconnecting teens from friends and family doesn’t make them safer, and may push them to use more dangerous platforms, the company said.

Dig deeper: Read Amy Lewis’ report in WORLD Magazine examining how Australia’s social media law could usher in widespread use of biometric tracking.