Australia will become the first country to ban social media accounts for users under 16 starting 10 December, with regulators tracking “migratory patterns” to stop teens shifting to other platforms, Communications Minister Anika Wells said on Wednesday (3 December).
The ban is designed to tackle what Wells described as “behavioural cocaine” — addictive design features targeting young users — and shifts responsibility for underage use onto tech companies.
Australia’s eSafety Commission will begin compliance checks on 11 December, sending notices to 10 major platforms requesting data on underage accounts both before and after the ban.
Wells emphasised the law will be monitored through an evidence-based review over two years, noting it is not “set and forget.”
She criticised platforms like YouTube for always being “at pains to remind us all how unsafe their platform is in a logged-out state.”
“Viewers must now be 16 or older to sign in to YouTube. This law will not achieve its goal of making children safer online and will, in fact, make Australian kids less safe on YouTube,” the platform said in a statement earlier, on Wednesday (3 December), complying with the new law.
"Teenage addiction was not a bug, it was a design feature,” Wells said, acknowledging teens may experience short-term discomfort losing access to accounts.
“But I truly believe the long-term benefits will outweigh the withdrawal symptoms,” she concluded.
The law bars users under 16 from maintaining social media accounts and carries penalties of up to A$49.5 million (£25.5 million) for breaches.
Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat have all pledged to comply, while Elon Musk’s X and Reddit have yet to make public commitments.
Australia’s eSafety Commission reports that YouTube has about 325,000 accounts for users aged 13 to 15, compared with Snapchat’s 440,000 and Instagram’s 350,000.
The watchdog also found that over a third of Australians aged 10 to 15 have come across harmful content on YouTube, the highest rate among major platforms.
NATO has grown from 12 founding members in 1949 to a 32-country alliance spanning Europe and North America. Its combined military strength, defence sp...
China has urged the United States to end its decades-long sanctions and embargo on Cuba after Washington imposed new restrictive measures on entities ...
India and the U.S. are close to finalising a long-awaited trade agreement, Indian Trade Minister Piyush Goyal said on Thursday after the latest round ...
Hungary's ruling Tisza party has proposed a constitutional amendment that would remove President Tamás Sulyok from office, introduce term limits for ...
Mohammed Aydah, a correspondent for Saudi-owned broadcaster Al Arabiya, was killed after a bomb attached to his car exploded in eastern Yemen, the net...
Australian authorities have expanded surveillance and testing efforts after confirming two cases of the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu, while neighbouring Papua New Guinea has suspended poultry imports from the country.
Australian police say they have seized 2.7 tonnes of cocaine hidden underground near Sydney, the country’s largest cocaine bust to date.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 20 June, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Australia has confirmed its first mainland case of H5N1 bird flu, ending its status as the only continent with a mainland free of the virus and prompting authorities to step up efforts to contain any spread.
Russia has called for clarification on whether U.S. President Donald Trump has changed his position on the war in Ukraine following remarks made at the recent G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains.
As Western Europe battles a deadly heatwave that has shattered temperature records, disrupted transport and power supplies, and forced the closure of schools and cultural landmarks, attention is turning to whether El Niño is playing a role in the extreme conditions.
Israel's defence minister said on Wednesday Israeli troops will not withdraw from southern Lebanon, highlighting a hurdle to Iran-U.S. peace talks, as the top U.S. diplomat tours the Middle East to win over allies sceptical about a proposed deal.
The U.S. Senate rejected a resolution on Wednesday that would have directed President Donald Trump to remove U.S. forces from hostilities against Iran unless Congress formally authorised military action.
U.S. President Donald Trump said that Iran had agreed to nuclear inspections into "infinity, despite Tehran's denials, and that unfrozen Iranian assets would be used to buy humanitarian supplies from the United States.
The United Kingdom recorded a provisional high of 36.4°C on Thursday, according to the Met Office, making it the hottest June day on record. The extreme heat is part of a wider heatwave affecting much of Western Europe, with temperatures remaining well above seasonal averages.
NATO has grown from 12 founding members in 1949 to a 32-country alliance spanning Europe and North America. Its combined military strength, defence spending and future ambitions underline its position as the world's largest military alliance.
China has urged the United States to end its decades-long sanctions and embargo on Cuba after Washington imposed new restrictive measures on entities and an individual linked to the Cuban government.
India and the U.S. are close to finalising a long-awaited trade agreement, Indian Trade Minister Piyush Goyal said on Thursday after the latest round of negotiations with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
Hungary's ruling Tisza party has proposed a constitutional amendment that would remove President Tamás Sulyok from office, introduce term limits for MPs and overhaul key elements of the country's political system.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment