Australia’s federal government has enacted legislation that requires age-restricted social media platforms to prevent Australians under the age of sixteen from creating or maintaining social media accounts, making it the first national framework of its kind.

The social media minimum age framework came into effect on December 10, 2025, following amendments to the Online Safety Act 2021 passed by the Parliament of Australia in late 2024.

Platforms covered by the restrictions include major services such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat, X, Reddit, Twitch, Threads and Kick.

Age-restricted platforms are obliged to take reasonable steps to ensure that users under sixteen do not hold accounts on their services while located in Australia.

The regulatory obligations apply to companies rather than to minors or their parents, and failure to take reasonable steps to enforce the age limits can result in civil penalties of up to approximately fifty million Australian dollars per breach.

Since the restrictions took effect, social media companies have reported the removal, deactivation or restriction of millions of accounts believed to belong to users under sixteen.

Government officials cited industry reporting indicating that around 4.7 million accounts linked to children under sixteen have been deactivated or restricted by platforms in compliance with the law.

Platforms may use a range of age-assurance measures such as age-estimation technologies and other identity verification processes to meet compliance requirements under the law.

Exemptions in the regulatory framework include services that do not meet the statutory definition of an age-restricted social media platform, such as standalone messaging applications that do not enable broader social interactions.

Although the restrictions do not subject under-sixteen users or their families to penalties for accessing platforms, the regulatory obligations on platforms aim to limit underage account ownership.

Under the framework, young people can still view publicly available social media content that does not require logging into an account, but may not hold an account that permits interactions or posting.

Enforcement of the minimum age duties is overseen by the eSafety Commissioner, who has authority to pursue legal action against non-complying platforms in the courts.

The Australian social media age restrictions have attracted international attention, with other jurisdictions considering or advancing similar proposals.

In the United Kingdom, an amendment to pending legislation in the House of Lords would impose a ban on social media for under-sixteens, drawing on elements of the Australian approach.

France’s legislature has approved a bill to ban use of social media by children under fifteen, with provisions for age verification to be implemented by platforms.

A state government in India has also formed a panel to explore measures inspired by Australia’s restrictions.

These developments reflect broader global interest in policy responses to the online safety of children and teenagers.