Australia approves law banning social media for under 16s

In a step likely to be tracked around the world, Australia has approved legislation that will ban the use of social media for children under 16. The bill was only introduced about a week ago but had backing from the main conservative opposition party as well as the centre-left government over concerns the tech services negatively impact kids’ well-being.

The ban is expected to take affect in November 2025, per Reuters. At that point social media platforms in the market will need to be able to demonstrate they’re taking “reasonable steps” to ensure age verification is in place to stop minors accessing their services. Otherwise they could face fines of up to around $32 million.

Australia’s lawmakers ignored petitions by tech giants including Google and Meta to delay the ban until the end of an age-verification trial. That is slated for around the middle of next year. But in one last-minute privacy-focused amendment, a Senate committee added a condition that social media platforms should not force users to submit personal data like a passport or other digital ID in order to prove their age.