Australia bans social media for under-16s from December 10: ‘How will we stay in touch?’

Australia, one of the first major democracies is set to impose a ban on social media access for those under the age of 16, leaving a 15-year-old schoolboy anxious about how he will keep in touch with his circle of faraway friends. The ban, which will take effect from tomorrow, will apply to platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Reddit and Twitch.

Riley lives 5 kilometres (3 miles) from Wudinna — a community of just over 1,000 people in South Australia. However, some of his school friends live 70 kilometres away.

“I don’t think the impact will be very positive for us. We don’t have a lot out here to get in contact with each other,” Riley told ABC News. “I’m not sure how we’re going to keep in touch over the holidays with each other,” he said, referring to the Southern Hemisphere summer break that starts on Thursday.

Riley’s mother, Sonia Allen, a schoolteacher, said she would not help her son bypass the social media ban, though she suspects some other parents might.

“I wouldn’t. I do know there are other people that would. If the rule is there, the rule is there. But I know what kids are like, and I’ve been a kid before, and they’re going to get around it if they can,” she explained.

Although the law does not allow parents to permit their children to use social media, Allen believes parents still have an important role in guiding and monitoring their children’s online activity.

A year ago, she temporarily barred Riley from using social media for several weeks.

“In the past with Riley, we’ve had to take measures to limit his usage because we found him on social media at midnight and he wasn’t getting his homework done and things like that. We ended up taking it off him for a couple of months,” Allen said. “From that, he’s learned to use it a more responsibly.”

Riley, who will turn 16 in April, acknowledged the purpose of the ban but suggested alternative ways to achieve it. He proposed an enforced 10 p.m. social media curfew for younger children to prevent them from losing sleep.

How will Australia’s under-16 social media ban work?

Australia has introduced a new law aimed at protecting young people from the negative effects of social media. Under this legislation, anyone under 16 will be barred from using social media platforms, with the rules coming into effect on December 10.

The ban does not impose penalties on children or their parents. Instead, it places responsibility on social media companies, requiring them to take “reasonable steps” to verify that users are at least 16. Platforms that fail to comply could face fines of up to Aus$49.5 million for the most serious breaches.

The law also sets out certain exemptions. Major platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok fall under the ban, along with streaming services like Kick and Twitch. However, some popular apps — including Roblox, Pinterest and WhatsApp — are currently excluded from the restrictions.

The government stated that certain platforms would be exempt from the under-16 social media ban if their main focus is on specific functions, including:

Sending messages, emails, or making voice and video calls

Playing online games

Sharing details about products or services

Professional networking or career development

Educational purposes

Health-related services

Communication between schools and students or their families

Connecting healthcare providers with the individuals who use their services