Australia passes law banning teens from social media

Recently, a proposed law in Australia surprised the tech industry. Lawmakers filed a bill to ban under-16s from accessing social media platforms. Shortly after, the law banning teens from social media platforms was passed, making Australia the first country to do so.

The Australian Senate approved the new law by a margin of 34 to 19. It contemplates fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars—about 33 million US dollars—for companies that do not implement the necessary measures to comply with it. Companies like Meta must ensure that minors under 16 cannot create accounts.

Australia is the first country to ban teens’ access to social media platforms by law

Representatives claim that the new law is a product of the inability of social media companies to prevent minors from accessing their services. Apparently, the Australian government never looked favorably on teens using these platforms. However, they had not yet legislated on it. They expected the companies to do so autonomously. “This is a responsibility these companies should have been fulfilling long ago, but for too long they have shirked these responsibilities in favor of profit,” said Senator Maria Kovacic.

“The core focus of this legislation is simple: It demands that social media companies take reasonable steps to identify and remove underage users from their platforms,” Kovacic added. The Australian prime minister says the law addresses parents’ concerns about the effects of social media on their children.

Australian authorities will give social media companies a year to catch up on changes they can implement to comply with the law. However, it won’t be an easy task due to current Australian laws (ironically). For example, data privacy legislation prevents social media companies from requesting government-issued IDs for age verification. This includes driver’s licenses, passports, and others.

Meta says the new legislation is “rushed;” it was approved in a week

Of course, companies affected by the new law, such as Meta, have spoken out against it. The company believes that the approval process was “rushed.” The brand could be right, as only a week passed between the proposal and the passage of the law. A representative from Meta said that Australian representatives did not take the time to analyze what companies are doing to “ensure age-appropriate experiences, and the voices of young people.”

The legislation includes exceptions for platforms that offer health and education content. The list includes YouTube, Messenger Kids, WhatsApp, Kids Helpline, and Google Classroom.

Voices against the new law

The law also has critics among tech groups and even Australian political figures. Digital Industries Group (DIGI), the representative of the digital industry in Australia, says that everything around the legislation is very confusing. “The social media ban legislation has been released and passed within a week and, as a result, no one can confidently explain how it will work in practice,” said Sunita Bose, DIGI managing director.

Senator David Shoebridge also expressed concerns about the legislation. He believes that the legislation could potentially affect certain groups, such as young people in the LGBTQ+ community. Shoebridge says that banning them from social media could increase isolation for them. Other critics fear that teens will end up turning to platforms that are even less suitable—and more dangerous—for them.

There are also people who see the move as a measure to seek parental approval. Critics believe the law aims to garner votes ahead of the May 2025 national election.