Australia Enforces World's Strictest Teen Social Media Ban: Under-16s Locked Out from Platforms
Australia enforces teen social media access ban In a landmark move to protect young minds from the perils of online addiction and harm, Australia has begun enforcing a nationwide ban on social media access for anyone under 16 years old. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hailed the rollout as a "game-changer for child welfare," stating during a press conference in Canberra: "We've seen enough. Cyberbullying , body image issues , sleep deprivation —these apps are not toys; they're reshaping our kids' brains. From today, no Australian teen under 16 gets in without our say-so." How the Ban Works Under the new rules, tech giants like Meta (parent of Facebook and Instagram), ByteDance (TikTok), Snap Inc. (Snapchat), and X (formerly Twitter) must implement robust age-verification systems to block underage users. Platforms face fines of up to AUD 50 million (about USD 32 million) for systemic failures, or 5% of their Australian revenue—whichever is greater—for non-compliance. Key enforcement mechanisms include: Biomet…
