On 10 December 2025, the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024 will go into effect. This amendment to the Online Safety Act seeks to prevent under-16s from accessing certain social media apps and sites, citing health and safety concerns. Find out which sites will be affected, and what you need to know in advance, either as an under-16 or an over-16.
What Websites and Apps Are Banned for Under-16s?
As of 21 November 2025, the eSafety Commissioner states that these ten websites are subject to the ban:
These sites are banned because it has been determined that their primary chat functions are intended to allow interaction between users. The government and eSafety state that their concerns about online safety for children and young teens stem from this type of interaction. The ban is meant to prevent children from experiencing cyberbullying, grooming or assault from online predators, and personal data violations.
Do note that anyone will still be able to see posts and content on these sites that are available to non-logged-in users. So, you’ll still be able to watch YouTube videos, for example; you just won’t be able to “like” or “dislike”, add them to a playlist, or make comments.
The Social Media Minimum Age Obligation (SMMA) refers to the age in question, which is 16. It is the benchmark being set for platforms to respect.
What Websites and Apps Remain Available for Under-16s?
The current list of websites and apps explicitly not affected as of 21 November 2025 is:
- Discord
- GitHub
- Google Classroom
- LEGO Play
- Messenger
- Roblox
- Steam and Steam Chat
- YouTube Kids
Any sites and apps not mentioned on either of these lists can also be considered unaffected at this time.
eSafety has also stated that the list of affected and unaffected sites is expected to change with reevaluations as time goes on. Sites can be added and removed from the affected list as new developments are made in their technology and services. It’s also very likely that more sites will be added to the ban list as behaviour patterns post-ban are examined.
- It has the sole purpose, or a significant purpose, of enabling online social interaction between two or more end-users.
- It allows end-users to link to, or interact with, other end-users.
- It allows end-users to post material on the service.
- It has material which is accessible to, or delivered to, end-users in Australia.
(from esafety.gov.au)
Platforms have the primary purpose of:
- enabling communication by messaging, email, voice or video calling
- enabling playing of online games
- enabling sharing of information about products or services
- professional networking or professional development
- supporting education
- supporting health
(from esafety.gov.au)
The reason these sites are currently unaffected is that they have been determined to centre activities besides content posting and enabling users to interact. It’s stated that the unaffected apps remain available because they focus on services like direct messaging, networking, and providing educational content, instead of social media-style messaging with posts and comments.
Whether you’re in favour of the ban or not, it’s impossible to ignore that the distinction between what is banned and what is not seems muddled at best. This leaves a lot of users and tech companies confused, unsure what exactly could trip eSafety’s decision to add or remove a site from the ban list.
Learn more about the upcoming social media law.
How the Ban Affects Social Media Users
Tech companies are ordered to remove or freeze all under-16 profiles on their platforms beginning on 10 December 2025. How these companies determine a user’s age is not mandated, so each company can do it however they feel is best. Also, how they will ask users to prove their age has not been mandated, so it’s likely each company will have a different process.
Expect a lot of jumping through hoops and confusion for a few weeks after the law takes effect, as both companies and users figure out what to do. The government may also make new changes in response to whatever results start being obvious after the ban takes hold.
What Companies Are Doing to Bar Under-16s
Each company is responsible for coming up with effective solutions for the obligations they have been given. We all have a lot of questions about the process and the many implications.
For ease of reference, here is a list compiling the currently known answers to the most pressing questions. I’ll refer to each question’s designated number for easy referencing in the rest of this section.
Top Questions Companies Need to Answer About the Social Media Ban
- Question 1: How will they identify under-16s on their site?
- Question 2: Will they freeze or delete the accounts of under-16s, or do they have a different plan?
- Question 3: What happens if an over-16 is accidentally removed from their site?
- Question 4: How do they plan to have users verify their ages? Will any data collected be deleted, or will it be stored and used for other purposes, like marketing? Will the data be secure?
- Question 5: How will users regain access to their accounts after they turn 16?
Facebook, Instagram, Threads (Meta)
TikTok
X (formerly Twitter)
Snapchat
YouTube
Kick
Twitch
As you can see, there are still a lot of unanswered questions from these companies about how they plan to proceed with compliance in the ban. It's best to assume that you may lose all your data once you've been locked out of your account. Most companies already have some sort of age restriction and verification, though it's much more relaxed than what the law now requires. With the threat of a multimillion-dollar fine, companies may overcompensate and become very liberal with their account freezes. Be prepared to verify your age for these accounts, even if you're over age 16.
Why Is There a Social Media Ban in Australia?
This government legislation comes in the midst of a worldwide discussion and debate about what to do regarding children and the internet, mostly focusing on social media.
It’s an extremely massive and nuanced topic, with lots of evidence pointing to many different problems. Since social media and the internet are so new (relatively speaking), and they’ve been evolving nonstop since their first release to the public in 1993, it’s been difficult to anticipate their impacts on society.
What is certain is that social media can have negative impacts on children. The Australian government has decided to take the first step in addressing this issue by passing the Social Media Age Restriction Platforms Australia legislation.
Both those in favour of limiting children’s access to the internet and those opposed have reservations about the legislation’s potential effectiveness, especially regarding its possible violation of certain human and children’s rights.
The Australian government believes the law will help cut down on children’s exposure to inappropriate internet interactions, which can damage a child’s mental, emotional, or even physical health and safety. The government also expresses a desire to encourage children to spend more time outdoors, playing sports, and doing other activities besides being on social media for their well-being and development.
What Happens If an Under-16 Accesses a Banned Site or App?
As the law stands currently, there will be no penalty for under-16s who access banned or restricted websites. There will also be no penalty to parents, teachers, schools, etc., who allow under-16s access (intentionally or unintentionally).
The tech companies that own the platforms are solely responsible for barring under-16s from their services, and they are expected to do it reliably. They can face up to AUD$49.5 million in fines if they do not reasonably comply.
This part of the law has also been contentious for tech companies, since there is no set procedure for keeping under-16s from logging in, and there is no set metric for how successful or not a company is at compliance.
Learn more about the anticipated pros and cons of the ban.
Implications of the Ban for Users and Parents
Regardless of your opinions on the matter, the ban is due to go into effect soon, so you'll need to prepare. It could be possible that the law changes to become more relaxed or strict after the initial launch, so it will be a difficult time to navigate social media as an under-16 and a parent to an under-16. Try to stay informed about the media ban by looking at news websites regularly.
Under-16s
The first thing you should do is download any important data directly to your phone or computer. It's not clear if you will be able to download any of your data after being locked out of the account, and most companies haven't yet specified if accounts will be frozen or deleted. It's possible these companies may suffer in the coming years and shut down or restructure altogether, causing mass data losses, so regular backups are a good idea for anyone anyway.
Many teens in Australia have stated that they plan to join a family account with their parents or use a VPN to bypass verification requirements. To be clear, we don't endorse breaking the law.
This development is a perfect opportunity to take a look at your own habits and see if you can and should make healthier choices. While it's irritating that the government is making a broad decision for you, it's also a chance to realise if you've been spending too much time on socials (especially non-constructive time, like doomscrolling). And if so, now is a great window to develop better hobbies and habits instead.
Parents of Children Under Age 16
Now is a perfect opportunity to evaluate your child's relationship with social media, as well as your own.
Many people are (rightly) concerned about privacy and being used by companies, especially in the fallout of the implementation of this ban. Have you been wanting to quit Facebook anyway? It's a perfect time to download all your treasured photos and walk away. There's a possibility Facebook and other platforms will ask the majority of their users, even those over age 16, to start providing age-verification information like video selfies (and, while companies can't compel you to provide a government ID, they can make it really inconvenient not to provide a government ID). To avoid giving a detailed, 3D version of your face to a tech company, you may decide that social media is off the table for you for now.
Both you and your teen can learn more about healthy internet use as well as how to stay safe. Everyone online should know how to avoid scams and keep their personal data secure. Teens should also know how to avoid online predators, and should feel safe to come forward if they find something dangerous online.
It's also a great chance to discuss more about healthy internet use with your child. This law will likely cause many Australian children to find other outlets online that are even less regulated than the main channels. They may be more at risk of coming in contact with graphic or inappropriate content. Being a safe person to talk to is imperative now more than ever for children's internet safety.
While you will not suffer a penalty if you allow your child to access the restricted platforms, it's expected that you will not do that.
Learn more about the anticipated impacts for parents, children and schools.
The future of social media and the internet is oddly uncertain, since it's being examined by governments and scientists all over the world. It's true that something needs to change, since the internet is a hotspot of lots of problems in its current iteration. What the right and effective change is has yet to be seen. This law is one step in the global journey to understanding how to coexist with this great and terrible technology.
References
- Age Assurance Technology Trial. https://ageassurance.com.au/
- Australian parliament passes landmark bill to ban children from social media. (2024). https://www.lemonde.fr/en/pixels/article/2024/11/27/australia-s-parliament-passes-bill-that-would-ban-young-children-from-social-media_6734244_13.html#
- Australian social media ban on under-16s approved by parliament. (2024). In www.bbc.com. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c89vjj0lxx9o
- Guzman, C. de. (2025). Meta Removes Under-16 Users Before Australia’s Ban. In TIME. https://time.com/7335378/meta-australia-social-media-under-16-ban/
- Instagram and Facebook-owner Meta notifies Australian teens of accounts shutdown. (2025). In www.bbc.com. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz919xyx7weo
- Lyndal Rowlands. (2025). Meta sets date to remove Australians under 16 from Instagram, Facebook. In Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/11/20/meta-sets-date-to-remove-australians-under-16-from-instagram-facebook
- Social media age restrictions. (2025). In eSafety Commissioner. eSafety Commissioner. https://www.esafety.gov.au/about-us/industry-regulation/social-media-age-restrictions
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