technology
Australia Plans to Strengthen Laws Banning Children Under 16 From Social Media
The government announced plans to reinforce the ban after data showed most children under 16 still hold accounts on major platforms. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said officials are reviewing whether existing laws and the eSafety Commissioner's powers are sufficient. The legislation took effect in December 2025.
The IndependentAudio version
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The Australian government plans to strengthen laws that ban children younger than 16 from social media platforms, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said. Albanese told Parliament on Thursday that the government is considering options to reinforce the ban.
"We're working on that as a priority because this is something that other generations didn't have to deal with, which is why it's complex," he said.
He told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. on Friday that officials are examining whether the laws are as strong as possible and whether eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant has every power at her disposal. The legislation came into force on 10 December 2025.
ESafety data released in March showed seven in 10 underage children continued to hold accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok. A study published in the British Medical Journal on 25 June found that 85 percent of surveyed Australian 12- to 17-year-olds were using restricted platforms.
Platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, X, Kick, Reddit, Threads and Twitch face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars if they fail to take reasonable steps to remove accounts of children under 16.
Inman Grant said in April she was considering court action against Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube. Albanese said the government will proceed with digital duty of care legislation to hold platforms accountable for foreseeable harms caused by content and algorithms.
Lisa Given of RMIT University said the proposed reform responds to evidence that the ban is failing and that courts will need to decide what constitutes reasonable steps under the law.
Australia was the first country to enact such a measure. Britain announced plans last week to impose a similar ban, while Canada, Brazil and Indonesia have introduced age-based restrictions. France, Spain, Denmark, Thailand and South Korea are also developing comparable rules.
