What kids can and can’t do under Australia’s new social media laws

Australia is about to introduce its groundbreaking new social media age limit, with a nationwide ban on under-16s holding accounts on major platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, X and YouTube.

The law, which comes into effect from December 10, is designed to protect kids and young teens from the potential mental health harms, cyber-bullying, inappropriate content, and addictive* behaviours associated with social media use at a young age.

With the ban less than two months away, you may be wondering exactly how it will work and which platforms are affected.

You may use some of these platforms yourself and you almost certainly know kids with social media accounts who are currently under 16 – here’s everything you (and they) need to know.

WHEN WILL AUSTRALIA’S SOCIAL MEDIA BAN START?
Australia’s new Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 sets a minimum age of 16 for having an account on major social media platforms.

The ban, taking effect from December 10, requires companies to verify* users’ ages and prevent under-16s from opening or keeping accounts.

Platforms that don’t do this could face fines of up to $49.5 million.

WHICH PLATFORMS ARE INCLUDED?
The following platforms will be restricted to users 16 years and over, under the government’s social media reform:

• TikTok
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Snapchat
• X (formerly Twitter)
• YouTube

I’M UNDER 16, WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO MY ACCOUNTS?
If you’re on TikTok and Snapchat, you will have your content archived* and your account frozen from mid-December, while Instagram and Facebook accounts will be either temporarily paused, deactivated* or deleted.

WILL I LOSE MY CONTENT?
Underage users on Snapchat and TikTok will be able to archive their existing posts as part of the process of freezing these accounts, the platforms confirmed last Tuesday. Teen TikTok users will have the choice to deactivate their account, suspend* it, or fully delete it.

Snapchat will make a “Download my Data” tool available to teen users, which vice president Jennifer Stout said would “secure photos and communications before accounts are disabled and lost”.

IS ROBLOX INCLUDED IN THE BAN?
We don’t know yet whether online gaming and streaming platforms such as Roblox, Twitch, and Steam will be included in the ban. These platforms are currently under review and could be added to the list of age-restricted apps and sites.

CAN I STILL USE MESSENGER?
Messaging apps like WhatsApp, Messenger, and Messenger Kids are expected to be exempt from Australia’s new under-16 social media ban. They’re currently considered private communication tools rather than public networking platforms.

However, Discord could be included in the ban and currently remains under review. Regulators are still considering whether its public servers* and community channels make it function more like social media.

Telegram and Signal are also under review.

HOW WILL THE BAN WORK?
Under the new guidelines, social media companies must take “reasonable steps” — using a “multilayered* waterfall* approach” — to stop children under 16 from having accounts on their platforms.

Examples of these steps include detecting and deactivating underage accounts and preventing users from creating new profiles after being removed.

Tech companies can’t just rely on the ages users type in when trying to sign up and must continually review and improve their systems to ensure they don’t have any under-16s trying to sneak in to gain access.

How tech companies do this will be watched closely by other countries who are considering following Australia’s lead.

WHY IS AN AGE LIMIT NEEDED?
The government has said the age limit is needed to protect children from the harms of social media and there is overwhelming public support for the change.

Research has linked heavy and/or early social media use to issues including anxiety, depression, body image concerns, online bullying, and exposure to inappropriate and/or addictive content.

Many platforms were never designed for children and young teens. Experts have backed up the government’s reform by saying that stronger safeguards are necessary to prevent companies from collecting kids’ data or targeting them with ads.

The age limit is also intended to give children more time to develop emotionally and socially before they come across online environments that could expose them to adult material, misinformation or predatory* behaviour.

DO OTHER COUNTRIES HAVE AGE RESTRICTIONS?
While other countries have age restrictions for social media, Australia is taking a world-first step with a nationwide minimum age of 16 for holding accounts.

In the US, UK, Canada, and New Zealand, the minimum age is typically 13, while in South Korea, parental approval is required for under-14s.

The EU generally requires parental consent for under-16s, though some member states allow sign-ups from 13.

What sets Australia apart is that the law focuses on account access itself, not just data collection, and places the responsibility squarely on platforms to block underage users.

Last month, the Danish government announced it would follow Australia’s lead, with plans to launch a social media age limit for children.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s address on the underage ban at a UN event in September drew widespread praise, including from European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, who said many European countries were looking at introducing similar laws.

It seems the world will be watching what happens next.

UPDATE: MORE PLATFORMS INCLUDED IN BAN
On Wednesday, the government announced Reddit and live-streaming platform Kick were among eight additional online social platforms that would also be covered by the looming social media ban for under 16s.

Launched in 2005, Reddit is one of the older social media sites still widely used.

Kick, on the hand, launched in late 2022 and is one of several popular sites blurring the lines that define what social media is.

Communications Minister Anika Wells said other platforms could be added to the list, saying assessments are “ongoing and this list is dynamic.”

POLL

GLOSSARY

• addictive: when you want to keep doing something over and over again even if you know it’s bad for you and you find it almost impossible to stop
• verify: prove
• archived: store something securely so that it can be retrieved easily later
• deactivated: temporarily disabling an account so that it is inactive and can’t be used (or seen by others) but can be reactivated and used again later on in the future when the user is 16 or older
• suspend: pause
• public servers: a server that hosts web pages that are available to anyone on the internet
• multilayered: several different approaches
• waterfall: a linear, sequence-based method where each step has to be completed before moving onto the next
• predatory: describes criminal behaviour by individuals who use the internet and social media in particular to find, exploit, victimise and hurt young users

EXTRA READING
‘Monumental’ step to protect kids
Landline coming back to the future
YouTube added to U16 social ban

QUICK QUIZ
1. What date does the under 16 ban on social media come into effect?
2. What are two platforms that are included in the ban?
3. What type of platform is being considered under the reform?
4. Why are the reforms being brought in?
5. Which overseas government is planning to follow Australia’s lead in setting a minimum age for social media use?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

LISTEN TO THE UPDATE

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Communication methods
With this new social media ban, teenagers under the age of 16 will have to relearn how to communicate in different ways, other than any of these social media platforms they may currently be using.

Suggest some ideas, platforms and new ways that kids aged eight to 16 could use in order to communicate and share photos or other types of content.

You may even like to suggest your own new app built for younger users.

Sketch or explain your ideas below;

Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Digital Technologies, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative thinking

2. Extension
How do you think this social media ban will go down on December 10? Do you think teenagers are ready to accept this ban and change their communication methods?

Will they respect the ban or look for ways around it?

Time: allow 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Digital Technologies, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

VCOP ACTIVITY
To sum it up
After reading the article, use your comprehension skills to summarise in a maximum of three sentences what the article is about.

Think about:

• What is the main topic or idea?
• What is an important or interesting fact?
• Who was involved (people or places)?

Use your VCOP skills to re-read your summary to make sure it is clear, specific and well punctuated.