Name: Australia under-16s social media accounts to be taken down
Uploaded: 2025-12-04T08:03:25.761Z
Duration: 2 min 29 s
Description: Australia starts enforcing a landmark ban requiring social media platforms to take down accounts belonging to under-16s

Australia starts enforcing a landmark ban requiring social media platforms to take down accounts belonging to under-16s

Canberra

Australia is implementing a new law that will block individuals under the age of 16 from accessing social media platforms, including Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. The measure, set to take effect on December 10, is intended to protect minors from online bullying, harmful content, and addictive algorithms. 

Enforcement will involve government-issued identification and facial recognition technology, with social media companies facing fines of up to $32 million for non-compliance. Over a million accounts are expected to be deactivated, making this the world's first comprehensive restriction of its kind, and other countries are monitoring the results closely.

Australia under-16s social media accounts to be taken down

An online YouTube news channel founded by an 11-year-old, that's how Leonardo Puglisi began what would eventually grow into an online business, landing interviews with the Prime Minister and building a following of thousands. It just wouldn't have existed in the first place without social media, so it's absolutely critical to both my life and Six News. Today, other children like Beckham Boulder are also aspiring to do the same, but his YouTube account has vanished. When I'm older, I want to start an online business and if I can't practice now, I won't be able to make good videos to promote and sell my products. Thousands of online profiles across Australia have already disappeared in the first wave under a new law blocking under-16s from social media. On December 10, people under the age of 16 will no longer have access to social media accounts. The list includes Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, all targeted in a bid to protect children from online bullying, harmful content and addictive algorithms. Government-issued identification documents and facial recognition technology are two of the main tools planned to enforce the ban. Good morning. Good morning. Under-16s unhappy with the law got the chance to question the Prime Minister over why and how it will be implemented. What measures are in place to prevent people from bypassing the security systems and creating fake accounts? The responsibility is on the social media companies. The government says companies risk fines of up to $32 million if they don't comply, but tech experts say monitoring that will be a major challenge. The problem with the social media provider is that they will not give all information to the government. Right. So there is an auditing framework, auditing mechanism that is missing in all these bits and pieces. And loopholes are already being used. I will allow my 11-year-old son to use my YouTube account. However, we will be doing it together. This is important because he'd like to create an online business. By December 10, more than a million accounts are expected to be deactivated, officially launching the world's first sweeping restriction on social media for under-16s. The results will be watched closely by other countries as they consider whether Australia's bold move will set a global standard for online safety. Danielle Robertson, Al Jazeera, Sydney.

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