Australia on Wednesday became the first country to prohibit children under 16 from accessing social media, enforcing a nationwide ban that has drawn strong support from parents and child-protection groups while triggering objections from major technology companies and free-speech advocates.
From midnight (13:00 GMT on Tuesday), 10 of the world’s largest platforms, including TikTok, Alphabet’s YouTube, and Meta’s Facebook, were ordered to block underage users or face fines of up to A$49.5 million ($33 million).
The new law is being closely monitored by regulators around the world as governments weigh tougher online-safety measures.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the move as “a proud day” for Australian families, saying it shows policymakers can finally respond to online harms that have outpaced existing safeguards.
“This will make an enormous difference. It is one of the biggest social and cultural changes that our nation has faced,” Albanese said during a Wednesday press conference.
“It’s a profound reform which will continue to reverberate around the world.”
In a video message, Albanese encouraged young people to “start a new sport, new instrument, or read that book that has been sitting there for some time on your shelf,” ahead of the country’s summer school break.
In the hours before the ban took effect, many of the estimated one million children affected by the legislation posted farewell messages to their online followers.
“No more social media… no more contact with the rest of the world,” one teen wrote on TikTok. Another added: “#seeyouwhenim16.”
The nationwide rollout follows months of debate over whether any government could realistically prevent minors from using platforms deeply embedded in daily life. It now serves as an international test case for governments frustrated by social-media companies’ slow adoption of harm-reduction tools.
Albanese’s centre-left government cited research showing significant mental-health risks linked to excessive social-media use among young teens, including misinformation exposure, cyberbullying, and harmful body-image content.
Countries such as Denmark, New Zealand, and Malaysia have indicated they may evaluate or mirror Australia’s approach, positioning the nation at the forefront of global age-restriction efforts.
Julie Inman Grant, the U.S.-born eSafety Commissioner tasked with enforcing the ban, told Reuters that parents abroad are increasingly demanding similar action.
“I hear from the parents and the activists and everyday people in America, ‘we wish we had an eSafety commissioner like you in America, we wish we had a government that was going to put tween and teen safety before technology profits,’” she said from her Sydney office.
Elon Musk’s X was the final platform to implement measures cutting off underage users, confirming on Wednesday that it would comply.
“It’s not our choice – it’s what the Australian law requires,” the platform said on its website. “X automatically offboards anyone who does not meet our age requirements.”
Officials say the list of regulated platforms will expand as new apps emerge and user behaviour shifts. Companies have told the government they will use a combination of age-inference tools, selfie-based age estimation, ID checks, and linked bank-account verification to enforce compliance.
For social-media firms, the ban marks a new chapter of stagnation as user growth slows and time spent on platforms declines.
Although platforms earn little from users under 16, they argue that removing them disrupts the development of future customer bases. Government data shows that 86% of Australians aged eight to 15 used social media prior to the law.
Some young people, however, fear the ban will cause new problems. “It’s going to be worse for queer people and people with niche interests I guess because that’s the only way they can find their community,” said 14-year-old Annie Wang.
“Some people also use it to vent their feelings and talk to people to get help … So I feel like it’ll be fine for some people, but for some people it’ll worsen their mental health.”
