Australia Passes 'World-Leading' Social Media Ban for Kids Under 16 — with an Aim to Protect Their Mental and Physical Health

Mar. 15, 2025

A stock image of a person on their phone.Photo:Matt Cardy/Getty

Matt Cardy/Getty

A new law in Australia is attempting to keep children safe on social media.

On Thursday, Nov. 28, Australian lawmakers passed a social media ban for kids under 16 — one of the most extensive initiatives aimed at protecting youth safety and health in the world, according to reports fromNBC NewsandThe New York Times.

The “world-leading” law, called The Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024, “will deliver greater protections for young Australians during critical stages of their development,” according to apress releasefrom Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

YouTube, meanwhile, is unaffected, along with WhatsApp and similar messaging apps, the outlet said.

A stock image of kids on their phones.Xavier Lorenzo/Getty

Xavier Lorenzo/Getty

Under the newly passed legislation, the age limit has been lowered on the affected apps, with more responsibility falling directly and exclusively on the platforms — “not parents or young people,” the press release states.

Specifically, the law requires the companies to take “reasonable steps” to prevent anyone under 16 from creating an account and states that the responsibility for enforcing the limit falls solely on the platforms.

The social media platforms now have 12 months to meet these requirements, per theTimes. Should any of the apps fail at preventing kids from making accounts on their sites, they may be fined up to approximately $32 million.

“We know social media is doing social harm,” Albanese said in the release. “We want Australian children to have a childhood, and we want parents to know the Government is in their corner."

“We know some kids will find workarounds,” he said, “but we’re sending a message to social media companies to clean up their act.”

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Implemented over concerns about privacy rights, a revision to the legislation says that regardless of age, users will not be forced to provide government identification to verify their age, theTimesreported.

Plus, the law will reportedly “contain robust privacy provisions,” according to the prime minister’s press release. It will, for instance, require platforms to “ringfence and destroy any information collected” to safeguard people’s personal information.

source: people.com