Australia on Wednesday became the first country to ban social media for children under 16, blocking access to platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.
Ten of the largest platforms were ordered to block children from midnight (1300 GMT Tuesday) or face fines of up to A$49.5 million ($33 million) under the new law, which drew criticism from major tech companies and free speech advocates but was welcomed by many parents and children’s advocates.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called it “a proud day” for families and held up the law as proof that policymakers can curb online harms that have overtaken traditional safeguards.
“This is the day Australian families will take back the power from these big tech companies,” Albanese said. ABC News.
“New technology can do wonderful things, but we need to make sure humans are in control of our own destiny and that’s what it’s all about,” he said.
In a video message, Albanese urged children to “take up a new sport, a new instrument or read that book that’s been sitting there for a while on your shelf”, ahead of Australia’s summer school holidays starting later this month.
In the hours before the ban went into effect, many of the estimated one million children affected by the legislation began posting messages saying goodbye to their online followers.
“No more social media…no more contact with the rest of the world,” one teen wrote on TikTok.
“#see you when I’m 16,” said another.
The launch caps a year of debate over whether any country could practically stop children from using platforms embedded in daily life and begins a live test for governments around the world, frustrated that social media companies have been slow to implement harm reduction measures.
Albanese’s center-left government proposed the landmark law citing research showing mental health harm from excessive social media use among teenagers, including misinformation, bullying and harmful representations of body image.
Several countries, from Denmark to New Zealand to Malaysia, have signaled they could study or emulate Australia’s model, making the country a test case of how far governments can push age restrictions without stifling discourse or innovation.
‘It’s not our choice’: X says he will comply
Elon Musk’s X became the latest of the Big 10 platforms to take steps to cut off access to underage teens after publicly acknowledging Wednesday that it would comply.
“It’s not our choice, it’s what Australian law requires,” X said on his website.
“X automatically excludes anyone who does not meet our age requirements.”
Australia has said the initial list of covered platforms would change as new products emerge and young users migrate.
The companies have told Canberra they will implement a combination of age inference (estimating a user’s age from their behaviour) and age estimation based on a selfie, along with checks that could include uploaded identification documents or linked bank account details.
For social media companies, the rollout marks a new era of structural stagnation as user numbers stabilize and time spent on platforms shrinks, studies show.
The platforms say they earn little from advertising aimed at children under 16, but warn that the ban disrupts the flow of future users. Just before the ban came into effect, 86% of Australians aged eight to 15 were using social media, the government said.
Some young people have warned that banning social media could isolate people.
“It’s going to be worse for queer people and people with specific interests, I guess, because it’s the only way they can find their community,” Annie Wang, 14, said before the ban.
“Some people also use it to express their feelings and talk to people to get help… So I feel like it will be fine for some people, but for others it will make their mental health worse.”
