Australia’s under-16s social media ban to deactivate 1.5 million TikTok, Instagram and YouTube accounts
Parents, teenagers and educators have the next two months to prepare for the upcoming social media ban.
Here’s what we know so far:
* Australia’s world-leading under-16s social media ban comes into force on December 10
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.* Approximately 1.5 million accounts on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Threads and X will be deactivated on this date
* The onus is on platforms to comply with the federal government’s legislation to “detect and deactivate or remove” accounts from existing underage users
* Part of the legislation requires platforms to provide a straightforward process for appealing such assessments if an account is deactivated
* Platforms face fines of up to $50 million if they are found to have not taken “reasonable steps” to comply with the legislation, but there won’t be fines or penalties for young people or their families if they gain access to the platforms
* The government initially planned to exempt YouTube from its ban, but reversed the decision in late July
What’s happened this week
* A public hearing was held on Monday as part of a Senate committee’s inquiry into the upcoming ban and the online safety code for search engines
* YouTube senior manager of government affairs and public policy Rachel Lord said the company considered itself not to be a social media platform that “Australians use as a content library and learning resource”
* Google told parliament the ban will be “extremely difficult to enforce” but would not reveal if it is lobbying the Trump administration about YouTube’s inclusion ahead of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s visit to the US on Sunday
* Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said the inquiry would consider compelling TikTok, Snap and Meta to appear after they were invited to the hearing but failed to show
* Separately, Communications Minister Anika Wells held talks with Meta, Snapchat, YouTube and TikTok on Monday to reiterate the government’s expectations ahead of December 10
* Education ministers met with Ms Wells and eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant in Brisbane on Friday, as the country’s teachers prepare to monitor the restrictions
* Ms Wells and Ms Inman Grant announced a host of resources for parents, teachers and teenagers had been launched on eSafety.gov.au
* Parents and teacher can also sign up to 43 live educational webinars about the ban that will be held during lunch times and after-school hours
What’s to come
* Ms Inman Grant could not provide further details on what other platforms may be covered under the ban but said a final decision will be revealed in the coming weeks
* She said the list will be “dynamic” and will be subject to review
* The commissioner has warned the popular gaming app Roblox that the ban may apply to it, but said it may be “tricky” to include as the law only allows the government to ban platforms “sole or significant purpose” is social interaction
* Ms Hanson-Young confirmed Meta and TikTok’s representatives will face the inquiry when it resumes later this month following her threats to issue a subpoena to compel them to appear.
