Australia is the first to adopt age restrictions on social media platforms but it is unlikely to be the last

Australia has become the first country to ban social media for children under 16, blocking access to platforms including TikTok, Alphabet’s GOOGL.O YouTube and Meta’s META.O Instagram and Facebook from midnight.

Ten of the biggest platforms were ordered to block children from midnight on Wednesday (1300 GMT on Tuesday) or face fines of up to A$49.5 million ($33 million) under the new law, which drew criticism from major technology companies and free speech advocates, but was welcomed by parents and child advocates.

Countries move to curb children’s social media access

BRITAIN

The Online Safety Act sets tougher standards for social media platforms, including age restrictions to block minors from accessing harmful content.

The law was passed in 2023 and enforcement began this year. No age limit for accessing social media has been set.

CHINA

China’s cyberspace regulator has put in place a so-called “minor mode” programme that requires device-level restrictions and app-specific rules to restrict screen time depending on age.

DENMARK

Denmark said in November it would ban social media for children under 15, while allowing parents to give exemptions for youngsters down to the age of 13 to access certain platforms.

A majority of parties in Parliament said they would back the plan ahead of a formal vote.

FRANCE

In 2023, France passed a law requiring social platforms to get parental consent for minors under 15 to create accounts. But according to local media, technical challenges have impeded its enforcement.

GERMANY

Minors between the ages of 13 and 16 are allowed to use social media only if their parents provide consent. But child protection advocates say controls are insufficient.

ITALY

In Italy, children under the age of 14 need parental consent to sign up for social media accounts, while no consent is required from that age upwards.

MALAYSIA

Malaysia said in November it would ban social media for users under the age of 16 starting next year.

NORWAY

The Norwegian government in October 2024 proposed raising the age at which children can consent to the terms required to use social media to 15 years from 13, although parents would still be permitted to sign off on their behalf if they are under the age limit.

The government has also begun work on legislation to set an absolute minimum age limit of 15 for social media use.

USA

The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act prevents companies from collecting personal data from children under 13 without parental consent.

Several states have also passed laws requiring parental consent for minors to access social media, but they have faced court challenges on free speech grounds.

EU LEGISLATION

The European Parliament in November agreed on a resolution calling for a minimum age of 16 on social media to ensure “age-appropriate online engagement.”

It also urged a harmonised EU digital age limit of 13 for social media access and an age limit of 13 for video-sharing services and “AI companions.”

The resolution is not legally binding.

TECH’S OWN REGULATION

Social media platforms including TikTok, Facebook and Snapchat SNAP.N say people need to be at least 13 to sign up.

Child protection advocates say the controls are insufficient, however, and official data in several European countries show huge numbers of children under 13 have social media accounts.

In a video message that Sky News Australia said would be played in schools this week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the ban aimed to support young Australians and ease the pressure that can come from endless feeds and algorithms.

“Make the most of the school holidays coming up. Rather than spending it scrolling on your phone, start a new sport, learn a new instrument, or read that book that has been sitting there for some time on your shelf,” he said.

“And importantly, spend quality time with your friends and your family, face to face.”

AUSTRALIA COULD SET PRECEDENT

The rollout ends a year of speculation about whether a country can block children from using technology embedded in modern life.

It also begins a live experiment that will be studied globally by lawmakers frustrated by what they say is a tech industry too slow to implement harm-reduction measures.

“While Australia is the first to adopt such restrictions, it is unlikely to be the last,” Tama Leaver, a professor of internet studies at Curtin University, said.

“Governments around the world are watching how the power of Big Tech was successfully taken on. The social media ban in Australia … is very much the canary in the coal mine.”

Governments from Denmark to Malaysia – and even some states in the U.S., where platforms are rolling back trust and safety features – say they plan similar steps, four years after a leak of internal Meta documents showed the company knew its products contributed to body image problems among teenagers. Meta has said it has tools to protect children.

BEGINNING OF THE END

The ban initially covers 10 platforms, but the government said the list would change as new products emerge and young users switch to alternatives.

Of the initial 10, all but Elon Musk’s X have said they will comply using age inference – guessing a person’s age from their online activity – or age estimation, which is usually based on a selfie. They might also check with uploaded identification documents or linked bank account details.

Musk has said the ban “seems like a backdoor way to control access to the internet by all Australians” and most platforms have complained that it violates people’s right to free speech. An Australian High Court challenge overseen by a libertarian state lawmaker is pending.

For social media businesses, the implementation marks a new era of structural stagnation as user numbers flatline and time spent on platforms shrinks, studies show.

Platforms say they earn little from advertising to under-16s, but warn the ban disrupts a pipeline of future users. Just before the ban took effect, 86% of Australians aged eight to 15 used social media, the government said.