From Wednesday, under-16s will not be able to hold or sign up for a social media account. Some experts are sceptical about the social media ban
The much-discussed social media ban comes into effect on Wednesday, December 10. From that date, anyone younger than 16 will not be able to hold or sign up for a social media account.
It has been a long, confusing and complicated rollout of the ban, introduced in late 2024.
The banned platforms include Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, X, YouTube, Facebook, Threads, Reddit, Kick and Twitch. Last week, it was announced that Lemon8 and Yope had been asked to self-assess to determine whether they should also be included.
Recently the ban has faced a challenge in the High Court from advocacy group Digital Freedom Project and two other young Australians, 15-year-olds Macy Neyland and Noah Jones, on the grounds that the ban infringes the right to freedom of political communication.
Social media has been shown to have a negative impact on teens' mental health Shutterstock
What is the social media ban?
Australia’s social media ban for under-16s was introduced following nationwide recognition of the harms of social media for young people. These include the fact that algorithms amplify misogynistic content and some content can poorly impact teenagers' mental health, causing anxiety, low self-esteem and loneliness, among other issues.
The ban has been opposed by tech platforms such as YouTube, which argued that it did not constitute "social media’, and that it provided benefits to teenagers with safeguards already in place.
Following YouTube’s inclusion in the ban, Google [YouTube's parent company] has said the ban will be "extremely difficult to enforce", while Meta [the company behind Facebook and Instagram] has stated they expect margins of errors when judging an account holder's age.
How will it be enforced?
There has been no clear-cut method of enforcement reported, but social media companies will be expected to take "reasonable steps" according to the eSafety Commission, to remove all accounts of those aged under 16 on day one of the ban.
In June, AI technology was trialled for enforcing this but it frequently mistook teenagers for being in their 20s and 30s.
Since then, it has been left up to platforms to decide which technology they will use for age verification.
Users will not be required to submit government-issued ID, despite government-backed studies showing that it was the most effective at age verification.
The eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant conceded it will be a complex process to prevent under-16s from creating accounts, adding that the implementation of the ban will "vary" from platform to platform.
The government has also said there will be "no excuse" for platforms not to comply with the ban as there has been a range of approaches for enforcement made available.
What social media won’t be banned?
According to the eSafety website and as of December 1, 2025, platforms such as Discord, GitHub, Google Classroom, Lego Play, Messenger, Pinterest, Roblox, Steam and Steam Chat, WhatsApp, and YouTube Kids will not be banned.
This is because the platforms do not meet the criteria for being an "age-restricted social media platform".
What is the criteria for the ban?
The eSafety website lists a number of conditions per the legislative rules developed by the government in July, that the banned platforms meet. These include:
- The sole or a significant purpose of the service is to enable online social interaction between two or more end-users
- The service allows end-users to link to or interact with other end-users
- The service allows end-users to post material on the service
- Material on the service is accessible or delivered to end-users in Australia.
Some have criticised the social media ban for its implications on minority communities.Shutterstock
What have critics of the ban said?
The Digital Freedom Project claims the ban is a "direct assault" on teenagers’ right to freedom of political communication.
Skye Kakoschke-Moore, CEO of Children and Young People with Disability Australia, has argued "social media can be a lifeline" for disabled children.
She also said that the ban risks isolating them from peer networks.
The shadow minister for communications Melissa McIntosh has questioned whether the ban will be effective, and said that it has a "high risk of failure". The Coalition remains supportive of the ban.
What have advocates of the ban said?
The Labor government is supportive of the ban, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese saying "we stand on the side of families". There has also been support from parents.
How will we know it’s working?
It will be some time before technology companies can confirm they have successfully disabled all under-16 accounts, and longer before they can verify that no loopholes have been exploited.
The ban will not be fully implemented and successful by December 10, but it is the first day that all companies will be expected to start complying or be subjected to penalties of $49.5m.
As a checkout chick, I'm used to rudeness. But I can't bear the threats and violence