{"id":217,"date":"2025-12-11T00:32:49","date_gmt":"2025-12-11T00:32:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thriveimmunityus.com\/?p=217"},"modified":"2025-12-11T00:32:49","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T00:32:49","slug":"australia-prohibits-under-16s-from-social-media-in-the-worlds-first-crackdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thriveimmunityus.com\/?p=217","title":{"rendered":"Australia prohibits under-16s from social media in the world’s first crackdown."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, and Reddit all prohibit the creation or maintenance of accounts for individuals under the age of 16.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A high school student poses with his mobile phone, displaying his social media applications, in Melbourne, Australia. Photos: Reuters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Enough is enough,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated. “It is one of the biggest social and cultural changes that our nation has faced.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We will take back control.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government claims unprecedented measures are required to safeguard youngsters from “predatory algorithms” that flood phone screens with bullying, sex, and violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The laws went into force after midnight local time throughout Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hundreds of thousands of adolescents awoke to find themselves shut out of apps they used to spend hours scrolling through every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bianca Navarro, 10, was already counting the years until she could log back in to YouTube.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It will be pretty sad because I have six years until I can watch it,” according to her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blacklisted\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, and Reddit are barred from creating or maintaining accounts for Australian users under the age of 16.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has also blacklisted streaming platforms Kick, Twitch, Threads, and X.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The restriction has been hailed as a blessing for parents who are sick of seeing their youngsters glued to their phones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mia Bannister blamed social media for her teenage son Ollie’s suicide, which occurred last year after he was bullied online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was also shown repeated diet videos, which encouraged his eating disorder, she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“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.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A rising body of studies demonstrates that spending too much time online is negatively impacting teen well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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’.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We need to err on the side of caution before putting anything addictive in the hands of children,” he told the news organisation AFP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘Very distracted.’<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tech-savvy youngsters all across the world are interested in Australia’s measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Students nowadays, they are really distracted,” stated 15-year-old Nigerian high school student Mitchelle Okinedo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

YouTube, Meta, and other major social media platforms have all condemned the ban.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meta, the parent corporation of Facebook and Instagram, stated that children were already going to darker online environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“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.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk’s X said the ban was “not our choice” for young customers. “It’s what the Australian law requires.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While most platforms have reluctantly agreed to comply, legal issues loom ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An Australian internet rights group has launched its own campaign to reintroduce teenagers to social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n