Australia's Senate passes a social media ban for children under 16, brushing aside lawmaker concerns on both sides; tech companies could be fined up to A$50M
- Australia's social media laws to be among strictest in world — Children under age of 16 will be banned from opening accounts
Bloomberg Ben Westcott
Context & Ripple Effects
Australia’s move follows a longer progression from a parental-consent proposal for under-16 users to a November bill that put responsibility for preventing underage accounts on platforms rather than families. The Senate’s passage turns that policy direction into a concrete compliance risk backed by substantial penalties.
The measure matters because it makes age-based access control a central operating requirement for social platforms serving Australia, not merely a privacy-policy or parental-permission feature.
First-order effects
- Children under 16 can no longer open social-media accounts under the new law, while platforms face fines of up to A$50 million for breaches.
- Platforms must prioritize systems and processes that prevent underage account creation, with enforcement authority shifting toward Australian regulators.
Second-order effects
- Age-assurance, account-verification, and moderation workflows become more consequential for platforms operating in Australia; the later government-backed finding that age checking is technologically possible strengthens the case for enforceable implementation.
- The law raises the cost of a uniform global onboarding experience: platforms must decide whether to build Australia-specific controls or extend stricter age gates more broadly.
Third-order effects
- The policy points toward access-control regulation in which platforms, rather than parents alone, bear responsibility for keeping defined groups out of online services.
- If enforcement proves workable, the approach could shift youth-safety debates from consent notices toward auditable age assurance—while keeping privacy and implementation trade-offs at the center of policy design.
The trend: Youth online-safety policy is moving from parental-consent rules toward platform-liability regimes that require age-based access controls.
Related: Access-control regulation · Australia · Australia introduces under-16 social media bill · Australia’s age-checking tech trial · Australia’s Online Privacy Bill
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Discussion
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@newsguy.bsky.social
Steve Herman
on bluesky
Children and teenagers under the age of 16 will be banned from social media after Australia's parliament approves world-first such laws. — www.abc.net.au/news/2024-11...
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@drwaus.bsky.social
@drwaus.bsky.social
on bluesky
An amendment to the Online Safety Act to legislate a minimum age of access (16 years) has been introduced into parliament this morning. It provides a definition of ‘age-restricted social media platform’ and increased fines for non-compliance www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentar...
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@joshtaylor.bsky.social
Josh Taylor
on bluesky
Here's the actual age assurance legislation. My read is the privacy protections are very lacking and the lack of detail over what age assurance systems are in or out leaves the door open to everything basically. www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentar...
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@mslods.bsky.social
Leanne O'Donnell
on bluesky
And the definition of an “age-restricted social media platform” in this Bill is very broad. — See section 63C: — www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentar... [embedded post]
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@mslods.bsky.social
Leanne O'Donnell
on bluesky
Australia's Social Media Minimum Age Bill has now passed both Houses of Parliament. — Introduced into Parlt last Thursday. — Submissions were due Friday. — 1/2 day hearing Monday. — Committee report Tuesday. — See: The Bill, EM & amendments made by the Senate www.aph.go…
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@willguyatt
Will Guyatt
on x
I'm going to be following Australia's move with great interest. What's going to happen when you try and get the genie back in the lamp? Why are there no fines for parents who have a really important role here, and how the hell do you verify age when the tech doesn't even
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@willguyatt
Will Guyatt
on x
Without yet knowing how its going to ban them.
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@techau
@techau
on x
Australia's Senate are debating (kind of) and currently taking a Division over the Social Media legislation. The bill will ban access to those under 16, delete accounts of users who have accounts and are <16, while adding an Age Gate for all users, while not specifying how age [i…
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@mattjcan
Senator Matt Canavan
on x
So Senator Roberts' motion to extend the Senate inquiry failed. We now are voting on the “second reading” which I am opposing but it will pass. Then we go to what is called “Committee of the Whole” - where substantive amendments to the Bill can be moved and question of the
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@matt_camenzuli
Matthew Camenzuli
on x
Go get 'em, @elonmusk [image]
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@matt_camenzuli
Matthew Camenzuli
on x
The Social media age ban represents more than just banning children from social media. It represents a situation in Australia where: 1. The Government is happy to destroy even the most basic rights and privileges of Australians. 2. The Government has no respect for due process
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@6newsau
@6newsau
on x
“It's pathetic” Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young attacks the social media ban as a “headline” that “doesn't do what they say it will do” WATCH LIVE: https://www.youtube.com/... [video]
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@ash_craig
Ashley Craig
on x
I agree. Australia's social media ban is deeply problematic, a threat to free speech, disrespectful of young people, + almost certainly ineffective. The process of passing it has been absurd. Shutting down debate by both politicians and citizens. https://www.afr.com/... [image]
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@leo_puglisi6
Leonardo Puglisi
on x
Spoke to the New York Times about the social media ban: https://www.nytimes.com/... [image]
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@mattjcan
Senator Matt Canavan
on x
Thanks for all the support and assistance. All you can do is do your best and fight your hardest. And the fight continues!
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@eevblog
Dave Jones
on x
Well that's it, probably the greatest global embarrassment in Australian parliamentary history, they just rushed through and passed the U16 social media ban bill. Australia is officially a joke. [image]
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@mattjcan
Senator Matt Canavan
on x
As I said there will be a silver lining from tonight's shameful stitch up in the Senate. A whole new generation of young Australians are now activated and passionate about their democracy. If you stay like that, we will have a better Government in the future. It has been great
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@willguyatt
Will Guyatt
on x
A social media ban for U16s in Australia will get the world talking and thinking . It's been rushed through, there's been no proven trial of any tech - and at present, age verification is just age prediction. Apart from that....
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@6newsau
@6newsau
on x
“These amendments mean that NO AUSTRALIAN will be forced to use government identification - including Digital ID - for age assurance on social media” WATCH LIVE: https://www.youtube.com/... [video]
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@6newsau
@6newsau
on x
Suicide Prevention Australia has urged politicians to reconsider the U16s social media ban 📲 “While we acknowledge challenges with online platforms, this bill fails to consider positive aspects of social media in supporting young people's mental health and sense of connection” [i…
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@techau
@techau
on x
BREAKING: It is now official, the Online Safety Act 2021 is now to be amended to ban Australian kids under 16 years old from Social Media, having passed through the Lower and Upper Houses of Australia's Parliament. We tried kids. Sorry we failed you. [image]
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r/technology
r
on reddit
A social media ban for under-16s passes the Australian Senate and will soon be a world-first law
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r/worldnews
r
on reddit
Australia's Social Media Ban for Under 16s to Become Law
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r/technews
r
on reddit
Australian kids to be banned from social media from next year after parliament votes through world-first laws