Anika Wells

Stories

Australia boots under–16s off social media in world–first crackdown

As of May 2026: Overseeing implementation of platform rules, defending the ban against industry and legal attacks

From midnight on December 10, 2025, Australian teenagers woke up locked out of Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube and more. Under a new law, anyone under 16 is banned from holding an account on ten of the biggest social platforms; companies that fail to purge under-age users face fines of up to A$49.5 million.

Updated May 10

Notable Quotes

"We want kids to know who they are before platforms assume who they are."

from Australia boots under–16s off social media in world–first crackdown · Updated May 10

"There’s a place for social media, but there’s not a place for predatory algorithms targeting children."

from Australia boots under–16s off social media in world–first crackdown · Updated May 10