Understanding Australia's Upcoming Social Media Ban

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The Australian government will soon implement social media restrictions for under-16s, as part of its push to protect young people and prioritise “parents ahead of platforms”.

The government has announced, after months of speculation, that YouTube will be included in its ban, while also tabling which types of online services will be exempt from the rules.

“We know that social media is doing social harm, and my government and this parliament is prepared to take action to protect young Australians,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday, alongside Communications Minister Anika Wells.

Wells said the government was “prioritising parents over platforms” and that it wouldn’t be “intimidated” by tech companies.

“We are implementing these rules and this law on behalf of parents who want and deserve better protection for their kids online. We want kids to know who they are before platforms assume who they are.”

A woman in a white blazer is speaking at a lectern with two women and a man, and flags behind her.

Communications Minister Anika Wells said the government is putting parents ahead of platforms. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas

How will the ban work?

Under the world-first legislation, “age-restricted social media platforms” will have to take “reasonable” steps to prevent children under this age from having accounts on their service.

Platforms will face fines of up to $49.5 million for failing to comply with the law.

When it comes to enforcement, Wells described “working rules” that will not be “set and forget”, adding the onus is on social media companies to work with the eSafety commissioner in determining what this looks like on their individual platforms.

“Social media platforms have been on notice since December last year that this was coming,” she said.

Wells outlined four “reasonable steps”, including deactivating existing accounts, ensuring no new accounts are activated, implementing workarounds and correcting errors.

“Kids, God bless them, are going to find a way around this, and maybe they are all going to swarm on LinkedIn, we don’t know,” Wells said.

“These are meant to be working rules, and they also need to correct any errors as they arise.”

For users over the age of 16, Wells said the government is awaiting the final recommendations from its age assurance trial.

Which platforms will be included in the ban?

According to the government, and in consultation with eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, age-restricted social media platforms will include Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X and YouTube, among other platforms.

When the legislation was passed by parliament, YouTube was one of a handful of platforms listed as exempt because they were “out of scope” of the policy. However, last month, Inman Grant wrote to Wells, making a formal recommendation that YouTube be included among the banned platforms.

Inman Grant said the recommendation was based on research conducted by eSafety, which found YouTube was the most prevalent social media platform young Australians were accessing, and also the most frequent place they were experiencing harm online.

The restrictions placed on YouTube will allow the YouTube Kids platform to operate, and minors will also be able to watch videos on the website in a logged-out state or under parental supervision.

But under-16s will not be allowed to have active YouTube accounts or subscribe to YouTube channels.

Unlike many of the other platforms included in the ban, YouTube doesn’t require users to have an account or be logged in to access content.

Online gaming, messaging apps, health and education services won’t be included.

“These types of online services have been excluded from the minimum age obligations because they pose fewer social media harms to under-16s,” Wells said.

“All services that meet the definition of age-restricted social media platforms, and are not specifically excluded in the rules, will be subject to the social media minimum age law.”

When will the ban come into effect?

The law will come into effect from 10 December this year.

Wells acknowledged “there is no perfect solution” when it comes to keeping young people safe online, but that the law “will make a meaningful difference”.

“As parents, we are really trying our best when it comes to the internet. But it is like trying to teach your kids how to swim in the open ocean, with the rips and the sharks, compared to at the local council pool. We can’t control the ocean, but we can police the sharks,” Wells said.

We can’t control the ocean, but we can police the sharks.

Communications Minister Anika Wells

“That’s why we will not be intimidated by legal threats when this is a genuine fight for the wellbeing of Australian kids.”

How have social media platforms responded?

A YouTube spokesperson said in a statement posted on its parent company Google’s blog on Wednesday that the company shares the government’s goal of reducing harm.

“Our position remains clear: YouTube is a video sharing platform with a library of free, high-quality content, increasingly viewed on TV screens. It’s not social media,” they said, adding the decision reverses a public commitment to exclude YouTube from the ban, and that it would consider next steps.

Google had this week written to Wells, asking her “to uphold the integrity of the legislative process and protect the age-appropriate experiences and safeguards we provide for young Australians”.

Inman Grant has rejected claims the decision would impact educators and schools.

When the laws passed, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, said it maintained there was a lack of evidence associating youth mental health with social media. Both Meta and TikTok described a rushed process.

Earlier this month, Meta announced expanded protections for teen accounts and child safety features.

TikTok has also been featuring ads promoting its educational benefits for teens.

— With additional reporting from Alex Gallagher and Naveen Razik.