Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, and Reddit all prohibit the creation or maintenance of accounts for individuals under the age of 16.
In a world-first crackdown, Australia barred under-16s from using social media, stating that it was time to “take back control” from mighty digital companies.
A number of famous apps and websites, including Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and X, face US$33 million fines if they fail to remove Australian-based users under the age of 16.
Australia becomes one of the first governments to take such a strong stance against tech corporations with enormous political power, a move that other countries are closely monitoring.
“Enough is enough,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated. “It is one of the biggest social and cultural changes that our nation has faced.”
“We will take back control.”
The government claims unprecedented measures are required to safeguard youngsters from “predatory algorithms” that flood phone screens with bullying, sex, and violence.
The laws went into force after midnight local time throughout Australia.
Hundreds of thousands of adolescents awoke to find themselves shut out of apps they used to spend hours scrolling through every day.
Bianca Navarro, 10, was already counting the years until she could log back in to YouTube.
“It will be pretty sad because I have six years until I can watch it,” according to her.
Blacklisted
Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, and Reddit are barred from creating or maintaining accounts for Australian users under the age of 16.
The government has also blacklisted streaming platforms Kick, Twitch, Threads, and X.
The restriction has been hailed as a blessing for parents who are sick of seeing their youngsters glued to their phones.
Mia Bannister blamed social media for her teenage son Ollie’s suicide, which occurred last year after he was bullied online.
He was also shown repeated diet videos, which encouraged his eating disorder, she added.
“I’m sick of the social media giants shirking responsibility,” she told AFP in the run-up to the ban. “The problem is we hand them a phone and we hand them the greatest weapon we could hand them.”
A rising body of studies demonstrates that spending too much time online is negatively impacting teen well-being.
However, researchers believe it is difficult to develop clear conclusions that distinguish phone use from other lifestyle factors.
Dany Elachi, a father of five, described the limits as a long-overdue ‘line in the sand’.
“We need to err on the side of caution before putting anything addictive in the hands of children,” he told the news organisation AFP.
‘Very distracted.’
Tech-savvy youngsters all across the world are interested in Australia’s measures.
“Students nowadays, they are really distracted,” stated 15-year-old Nigerian high school student Mitchelle Okinedo.
“Social media today is very important for expressing yourself, no matter how old you are,” said 16-year-old Santiago Ramirez Rojas of Mexico City.
YouTube, Meta, and other major social media platforms have all condemned the ban.
Meta, the parent corporation of Facebook and Instagram, stated that children were already going to darker online environments.
“We’ve consistently raised concerns that this poorly developed law could push teens to less regulated platforms or apps,” the US-based corporation told AFP in a statement. “We’re now seeing those concerns become reality.”
Elon Musk’s X said the ban was “not our choice” for young customers. “It’s what the Australian law requires.”
Lemon8 and Yope, two lesser-known chat and image-sharing applications that are not temporarily subject to the social media ban, have risen to the top of the Australian download lists.
While most platforms have reluctantly agreed to comply, legal issues loom ahead.
Reddit, an online discussion site, said it could not confirm local media claims that it planned to challenge the ban in Australia’s High Court.
An Australian internet rights group has launched its own campaign to reintroduce teenagers to social media.
- Rush or reasonable? –
Everyone concerned about the perils of social media will be watching Australia’s initiatives attentively.
New Zealand and Malaysia are considering similar limitations.
The Australian government admits that the prohibition will be imperfect at first, and that astute adolescents will find ways to circumvent it.
However, platforms face fines of up to Aus$49.5 million (US$33 million) if they do not take “reasonable steps” to prevent this from happening.
It remains to be seen how Australia’s internet safety regulator will determine what is reasonable. Social media firms are solely responsible for determining if users are 16 or older.
Some platforms claim they will employ AI technologies to estimate ages based on photographs, and underage users may be able to confirm their age by providing official ID.
The question of which platforms are banned is still being contested.
Popular apps and websites such as Roblox, Pinterest, and WhatsApp are now exempt, but the government has stated that the list is still being reviewed.
Most social media services currently require users to be at least 13, a result of US legislation that establish the minimum age for data collecting without parental agreement.