Australia’s Social Media Law: A Global First

Australia’s new social media law, effective since December 10, 2025, requires platforms to verify users’ ages and enforce a minimum age of 16 to create or maintain accounts. Ten major platforms, including Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube, removed 4.7 million accounts belonging to children under 16 in response.

While some critics claim the law has failed due to continued underage social media use, studies show account ownership among Australian children under 16 has declined by 9% to 40%. The law focuses on account-based access, aiming to limit data collection and harmful platform features like addictive algorithms and constant notifications.

Beyond reducing underage usage, the legislation is also driving improvements in privacy-safe age verification technologies and incentivizing platforms to redesign their products with child safety in mind. More than a dozen other countries, including Canada, Indonesia, and the U.K. are now considering or implementing similar policies. Australia’s approach is viewed as a pioneering effort to balance children’s online access with their safety and well-being, with long-term societal shifts expected to take years.