Australia Introduces Social Media Ban for Children Under 16

Sydney: Riley Allen, a 15-year-old schoolboy living on an Outback sheep ranch, is unsure how he will keep in touch with his friends once Australia’s world -first social media ban takes effect on Wednesday.

Riley’s family lives five kilometres from Wudinna, a small community of just over 1,000 in South Australia. Some of his school friends, however, live as far as 70 kilometres away. 'I don’t think the impact will be very positive for us. We don’t have a lot out here to get in contact with each other,” Riley said. “I’m not sure how we’re going to keep in touch over the holidays,' he added, referring to the Southern Hemisphere summer break starting Thursday.

The Ban: What It Means for Under-16s

From Wednesday, Australians under 16 will be legally barred from holding accounts on major platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube, and Twitch. Platforms face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars (32.9 million US dollars) if they fail to take reasonable steps to remove underage accounts.

Meta, the company behind Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, was the first to respond, excluding suspected underage users last week. Riley, who holds accounts on most of the restricted platforms, had not been removed by Monday but was asked to verify he is at least 16.

Parental Role: Enforcement vs. Support

Riley’s mother, Sonia Allen, a schoolteacher, said she would not help her son bypass the ban but acknowledged that some parents might. 'I wouldn’t. I do know there are other people who would. If the rule is there, the rule is there. But I know what kids are like, and I’ve been a kid before, they’re going to get around it if they can,' she said. Allen also stressed the importance of parental regulation, sharing that she had previously banned Riley from social media for several weeks to manage late-night use and neglected homework. "From that, he’s learned to use it more responsibly,' she said. Riley, who turns 16 in April, suggested an alternative approach: a 10 pm social media curfew to protect young users’ sleep while maintaining connectivity.

Teens Mount Constitutional Challenge

In Sydney, 15-year-old Noah Jones is challenging the ban in Australia’s High Court. Noah, who turns 16 in August, is one of two plaintiffs arguing that the law violates the constitutional right to freedom of political communication. The other case, filed by the Digital Freedom Project, is led by schoolgirl Macy Neyland.

The Australian government supports the ban, citing overwhelming parental demand to address social media harms. Meanwhile, some children say they welcome the restriction due to the harmful design features of these platforms.

Noah warns that the law could push children toward less regulated, potentially more dangerous online spaces. “We’ll be completely silenced and cut off from our country and the rest of the world,” he said. Noah’s mother, Renee Jones, serves as his litigation guardian and supports his challenge despite being a relatively strict parent on social media.

Legal Battle and Potential Loopholes

John Ruddick, president of the Digital Freedom Project and a minor Libertarian Party lawmaker, noted that children are likely to circumvent the ban using virtual private networks or other means. “They’re going to get around it, so they’ll be on an underground social media, and, to make it worse, without parental supervision,” he said. Ruddick argued that open usage under parental guidance is safer than driving children underground. A directions hearing for the constitutional challenge is scheduled for late February, when the full bench of seven judges will set a hearing date.