Australia pushes global shift with under-16 social media ban

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
Today 13:39

Australia’s landmark under-16 social media ban takes effect as Meta begins mass account deactivations, with Canberra framing the move as the first step in a global push to rein in Big Tech’s power.

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A logon screen for Facebook and the new Meta policy are photographed in Sydney, Australia, on November 20, 2025. (AP)

Australia’s eSafety Commissioner says the country’s new under-16 social media ban is set to trigger a worldwide regulatory domino effect, as major platforms begin blocking hundreds of thousands of users days before the law takes effect.

Speaking at the Sydney Dialogue on Thursday, Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said she had initially worried about the “blunt-force” nature of the policy but ultimately backed it after years of incremental reforms failed to curb Big Tech’s harmful design features and data extraction practices.

“We’ve reached a tipping point,” she said.

“Our data is the currency that fuels these companies, and there are these powerful, harmful, deceptive design features that even adults are powerless to fight against,” she explained.

“What chance do our children have?”

- Australian eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant

Platforms comply after months of resistance

Set to take effect on December 10, the ban compels platforms to remove underage users or face fines of up to A$49.5 million ($33 million). After more than a year resisting the proposal, Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube have now said they will comply.

Meta’s Instagram, Facebook, and Threads began deactivating accounts from Thursday, according to screenshots seen by Reuters. Other platforms are contacting users under 16 to save their photos and contacts before deleting or freezing their profiles.

Nearly 96% of Australians under 16, over one million young people, use social media, according to the eSafety Office.

Parents welcome relief amid mental health concerns

For many parents, the policy offers long-awaited support.

“It’s a great thing and I’m glad that the pressure is taken off the parents because there’s so many mental health implications,” said Sydney mother Jennifer Jennison.

“Give my kids a break after school and they can rest and hang out with the family,” the Australian mother added.

Inman Grant said lobbying by the major platforms escalated to the point of US involvement, revealing that the US' House Judiciary Committee had asked her to testify about what it called Australia’s attempt to exert extra-territorial power over American free speech.

She did not say whether she would comply, but noted the irony, “By virtue of writing to me and asking me to appear before the committee, that’s also using extra-territorial reach.”