Australia's Teen Social Media Ban Takes Effect- Under-16S Feel Left Out, Platforms Face $33 Million Fine For Violations

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Australia's ban on social media for users under the age of 16 has taken effect, causing millions of children and teenagers to lose access to their accounts. Several teens were reportedly 'distressed' and also claimed it was a 'pretty bad idea' as they adjusted to a life without social media, including Snapchat, X and Instagram, among 10 other platforms.

Social media platforms that do not comply risk fines of up to $33 million, according to a report by Reuters.

Which apps are covered by the 'under-16 social media ban'?

Starting Tuesday, 10 December midnight (1300 GMT),10 of the largest platform were ordered to block children or face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars ($33 million):
1. TikTok

2. Facebook

3. Instagram

4. Threads

5. X (formerly Twitter)

6. YouTube

7. Snapchat

8. Reddit

9. Kick

10. Twitch

Parents of children affected by Australia's new under-16 social media ban voiced mixed reactions, with some welcoming the move and others warning it risks isolating teenagers and pushing them toward rule-breaking.

Many of the estimated one million children affected by the legislation also posted goodbye messages on social media.

'Distressed', 'how VPNs work' – ban draws mixed reactions

One parent told the Guardian their 15-year-old daughter was“very distressed” because“all her 14 to 15-year-old friends have been age verified as 18 by Snapchat”. Since she had been identified as under 16, they feared“her friends will keep using Snapchat to talk and organise social events and she will be left out."

One teen affected by the ban told Sky News that“it was a pretty bad idea,” while another said his friends have 'found ways to work around the restriction.'

Another parent reportedly said the restrictions forced him to teach his child how to break the law.“I've shown her how VPNs work and other methods on bypassing age restrictions,” he said. He said that he had to set up an adult YouTube account for her daughter and assisted her in bypassing TikTok's age-estimation, mentioned Guardian's report.

Which platforms are not banned?

The following platforms were excluded from the banned list:

Roblox

Pinterest

YouTube Kids

Discord

WhatsApp

Lemon8

GitHub

LEGO Play

Steam and Steam Chat

Google Classroom

Messenger

LinkedIn

How is age verification done?

In the weeks leading up to the implementation of the ban, teens have reportedly been scrambling to prepare - completing age-assurance checks, swapping phone numbers and bracing themselves for the deactivation of their social media accounts.

Kieran Donovan, Australian chief executive and co-founder of age-assurance service k-ID, said his platform had carried out hundreds of thousands of age checks over the past few weeks.

Earlier, TikTok said in a statement it would have a“multi-layered approach” that“combines technology and human moderation” to detect and remove the accounts of teens who gave an incorrect date of birth when originally signed up to the app. Snapchat had said it would use account behavioural signals and the birth date people list on the account to determine those who are believed to be under 16.

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