Australia will on Wednesday become the first nation to enforce a minimum age for social media use, compelling major platforms to block users under 16 or face penalties of up to A$49.5 million (US$33 million). The unprecedented move is expected to spark a wave of similar regulations worldwide.
From midnight, ten major platforms including Instagram, TikTok and YouTube must prevent access by under-16s, a requirement that could see more than a million Australian accounts disabled. The law has drawn strong criticism from tech giants and free speech advocates but won the backing of parents’ groups and child-safety campaigners.
The rollout ends a year of intense debate about whether governments can realistically keep children off platforms embedded in everyday life. It also marks the start of what global policymakers describe as a “live experiment” as they watch whether Australia succeeds where voluntary safeguards have failed.
Countries from Denmark to Malaysia and several U.S. states are already exploring similar restrictions, four years after leaked internal Meta documents revealed the company knew its platforms contributed to body-image issues and suicidal thoughts among teens, despite public denials.
“While Australia is the first to adopt such restrictions, it is unlikely to be the last,” said Curtin University internet studies professor Tama Leaver. “This is very much the canary in the coal mine.”
The UK government, which recently forced pornography sites to verify users are over 18, said it is “closely monitoring Australia’s approach,” adding that “nothing is off the table” when it comes to children’s safety.
Australia’s eSafety Commissioner has commissioned Stanford University and 11 academics to analyse the ban’s impact over at least two years, monitoring thousands of young Australians affected by the new rules.
A New Digital Era
The law currently applies to ten platforms, including YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, though the government says the list will evolve as new apps emerge and as young people migrate to alternative services.
All but Elon Musk’s platform X have agreed to comply, using tools such as age inference (estimating age based on usage patterns) and age estimation (often via a selfie scan). Some may also verify age through ID documents or linked bank accounts.
Musk has condemned the law, calling it “a backdoor way to control internet access,” and an Australian High Court challenge led by a libertarian state lawmaker is underway. Major platforms argue the law infringes on free speech, while acknowledging they have struggled to curb harm to younger users.
Although under-16s contribute little to advertising revenue, companies warn the ban disrupts their future user base. Government data shows 86% of Australians aged 8 to 15 used social media before the law took effect.
“The days of social media as a space for unrestrained self-expression are coming to an end,” said Professor Terry Flew of the University of Sydney’s Centre for AI, Trust and Governance. He noted that while companies introduced minimum age requirements and enhanced privacy controls for teens, “if that had been the structure of social media in the boom period, I don’t think we’d be having this debate.”
With Australia now testing a model that could reshape global online culture, governments worldwide are watching closely and platforms are bracing for a future where regulatory intervention becomes the norm.