Australia Announces World-First Nationwide Social Media Ban for Under-16s

Australia just announced the world’s first nationwide ban on major social media platforms for kids under 16, which kicked in on December 10, 2025. From regulators to parents to teens everywhere, everyone’s paying close attention to how it works out—because what happens here could shape similar rules across the globe.

The law comes after years of worries about how social media affects young people: things like addiction, body image stress, depression, cyberbullying, and even the risk of sexual exploitation. But it’s not without pushback. Two Australian teens have already taken legal action to block it, saying it tramples on their right to speak out politically—and critics are also raising red flags about free speech and privacy.

How the ban works: Which apps are included, and who gets in trouble

Here’s how it works: a list of major apps labeled “age-restricted” have to check users’ ages and remove or block anyone under 16. That includes big names like Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, plus Kick, Reddit, Threads, and Twitch. Apps like Roblox and Discord aren’t covered right now but could be added later. If platforms don’t follow the rules, they could get hit with fines worth millions—but teens who break the ban (say, by using a VPN to get around it) won’t get in trouble themselves. Most apps say they’ll comply, even as some note they already have measures to protect young users.

Checking ages: ID, face scans, and the kinks that come with them

To verify ages, apps are either asking for official ID or using AI that guesses how old someone is from a face scan. A government study last year convinced officials this could be done without messing with people’s privacy—and apps have to delete that verification info once they’re done. Still, there are kinks: in the UK, teens reportedly used video game character faces to get past similar AI checks, and users got upset when YouTube said it’d start face-scan age checks in the US this year—worried about sharing biometric data or being mistaken for a teen.

Ripple effect: Other countries are planning their own bans

The ban is already sending a clear signal to other countries. Denmark and Malaysia are planning their own bans for young teens, and some US lawmakers are pushing for tighter rules too. As Michael Posner, director of the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights, put it: “This is a hugely important test case. If it succeeds … then I think a number of states, a number of governments are going to say, ‘Wow, look what they did in Australia.’”