A new law took effect in Australia on Tuesday that bans anyone under 16 from having a social media account on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, X (formerly Twitter), Twitch, Reddit, and Threads.
Platforms that violate the law face fines of up to AU$49.5 million, or about US$33 million.
All listed platforms, except X, had confirmed by Tuesday they would comply with the ban, according to a report in The Guardian. The owner and executive chairman of X, Elon Musk, called the law in a tweet “a backdoor way to control access to the Internet by all Australians.”
Update Dec. 10, 2025: In a statement provided to TechNewsWorld by spokesperson Joanna Stevens, Meta said it has removed access to Instagram, Threads and Facebook for teens who it understands to be under 16, and will prevent new users under 16 from creating accounts.”Ongoing compliance with the law will be a multi-layered process that we will continue to refine,” it explained.
“While we’re committed to meeting our legal obligations, we’re already seeing some of the concerns come to light previously raised by experts, youth groups, and many parents who believe that blanket bans are not the solution,” it continued. “These include isolating vulnerable teens from getting support from online communities, driving teens to less regulated apps and parts of the internet, inconsistent age verification methods, and little interest in compliance from many teens and parents. This will result in inconsistent application of the law and ultimately does not make young people safer.”
