As of December 10, 2025, Australia has implemented a ban on social media for kids under 16, and many are not fans of the idea. The ban has been in progress for over a year now, due to concerns that children are too caught up in the media, and the platforms are not healthy for their mental health. The Australian government believes it is opening its world to bullying, predators, and danger on social media. Children, however, have mixed feelings about it. Some believe that this ban is both a blessing and a curse. Of course, displeased with the ban and unable to text their friends and see the latest trends, they also see the positives of the ban, such as forcing themselves to make connections in person. As of Wednesday, 200,000 social media accounts were banned, and many were posting goodbye videos. The social media platforms that were included in the ban were X, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, YouTube, Reddit, Kick, and Threads, and if any of these apps fail to remove anyone under the age of 16 from their platform, then they could risk being fined up to 49.5 Australian dollars (equivalent to $33 million USD). Days leading up to the ban, these platforms began asking users for a face ID check to verify their age, but some have been proven to be inaccurate. The companies cannot ask for government-issued IDs because of privacy issues, so they are banning kids based on judgment. The Australian government plans on collecting data from this ban, checking things like their sleep, interactions, and test scores, hoping for positive feedback. Before the ban, two teenage Australians filed a constitutional challenge, believing that this ban would infringe on their right to political communication, and Reddit was debating whether to sue Australia. The country’s human rights commission has also pitched in, arguing that this ban will be effective because teens are going to find loopholes around it, and it will not keep them away for long.
