Australia to ban social media for children under 16 on Wednesday
The move follows long-standing concerns from parents and lawmakers about social media's effects on young people's mental health.
Australia is set to enact a social media ban for children under the age of 16 on Wednesday, becoming the first nation to do so.
The ban, which will take effect at midnight, targets ten of the world's most dominant social media platforms, including Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
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According to government data, 86 per cent of Australian children aged 8 to 15 were active on these platforms ahead of the ban.
Once the ban comes into effect, the companies will be required to purge more than one million existing Australian accounts held by minors. Failure to comply could result in massive penalties, with fines reaching up to Sh4.3 billion for systemic breaches.
According to Australia, while the ban is currently targeting 10 platforms, the list will likely change in future as young users explore alternative options.
To meet Australia's new rules, social media platforms are introducing "age assurance" tools, including algorithms that estimate a user's age based on their activity, or even using selfies for facial age checks.
While most companies have agreed to the new measures, Elon Musk's X has yet to clarify how it will comply.
The new law is being treated as a global "live experiment", with Australia's eSafety Commissioner teaming up with Stanford University researchers to track the ban's impact over the next two years.
Governments in the UK, Denmark and Malaysia are also watching closely. According to experts, if the Australian approach proves effective in protecting children, it could inspire similar laws worldwide, reshaping how Big Tech operates.
"While Australia is the first to adopt such restrictions, it is unlikely to be the last," said Tama Leaver, a professor of internet studies at Curtin University.
"Governments around the world are watching how the power of Big Tech has been successfully taken on. The social media ban in Australia... is very much the canary in the coal mine."
The move follows long-standing concerns from parents and lawmakers about social media's effects on young people's mental health.
Pressure for regulation intensified after leaked documents revealed that companies like Meta knew their platforms contributed to body image issues and suicidal thoughts in teens, yet did little to address the problem.
Parents and child safety advocates have welcomed the law as a crucial safeguard, but free speech groups and the tech industry argue it goes too far.
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