Australia has enacted its world-first ban on social media accounts for children under 16, requiring major platforms to deactivate existing underage accounts from 10 December and block new sign-ups. Companies that fail to take “reasonable steps” face fines of up to $49.5m.

Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, X (Twitter), YouTube, Reddit, Twitch, Kick and Threads are all included, while services such as Roblox, YouTube Kids, Pinterest, Discord, Google Classroom and LinkedIn are currently exempt. The eSafety Commissioner has warned additional platforms could be added if children migrate elsewhere – which, to be fair, will almost certainly happen.

Each platform must implement age checks, though ID alone cannot be the only method. Snapchat will use behavioural signals and dates of birth, TikTok will deploy a “multi-layered approach” combining technology and human moderation, and Kick will adopt K-ID technology. Meta has declined to reveal its methods. Others have yet to outline their plans.

Under-16s will be able to download their data and either delete or freeze accounts until they are old enough. Snapchat said around 440,000 accounts in Australia between 13 and 15 would be put into a “frozen state”. People incorrectly flagged as underage will need to appeal using facial age estimation (expect a surge in fake mustache sales) or government-approved ID, depending on the platform.

Recommended reading

• UK Gov Cracks Down on Explicit Deepfake Creators
• 1 in 3 UK Business Leaders Now See Themselves as Influencers
• The ‘Dark Side’ of Social Media Influencers Revealed

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said enforcing a minimum age “will create normative change and give young people a reprieve from powerful and persuasive design features built to keep them hooked”. She added that eSafety “will not hesitate to take enforcement action where it identifies systemic breaches of the law”.

The new obligations sit alongside industry-drafted Age-Restricted Material Codes coming into effect from 27 December. These will require search engines to blur image results for pornography and extreme violence and redirect searches relating to suicide, self-harm or eating disorders to mental health support.

“In our own research … 1 in 3 young people telling us that their first encounter with pornography was before the age of 13,” Grant said, describing protections against “accidental, unavoidable and unwelcome” exposure as essential.