Australia has enacted one of the most ambitious and closely watched online safety regimes in the world, with eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant at the centre of enforcing a groundbreaking prohibition on social media use for children under sixteen.

The Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 — passed by the Australian Parliament and effective from 10 December 2025 — requires major platforms to prevent under-16s from holding or creating accounts, imposing significant penalties on companies that fail to comply.

Under Ms Inman Grant’s stewardship, services including Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitter, Threads, Twitch, Kick and YouTube have been subjected to age-restriction measures to limit access to younger users.

The legislation reflects an assertive effort by Australia to shift responsibility for children’s online safety from families to technology companies, a dynamic Ms Inman Grant has publicly advocated as necessary given the scale and reach of algorithm-driven platforms.

Since the ban’s implementation, her office has reported the deactivation of millions of accounts flagged as belonging to under-sixteen users, a development she says is “exceeding expectations” even as challenges emerge.

Teenagers interviewed about the policy’s impact describe a spectrum of responses — from indifference and workarounds using misrepresented ages to nuanced reflections on changing patterns of social interaction — highlighting the complexities of enforcing behavioural change online.

Ms Inman Grant has acknowledged these challenges, describing her approach as a long-term project that blends regulation with education and normative shifts in digital engagement.

The commissioner’s role has drawn both domestic attention and international scrutiny.

Platforms initially resisted the requirements and some have mounted legal challenges, asserting concerns about free expression and operational burdens.

Global observers and policymakers are monitoring Australia’s experiment as similar proposals gain traction abroad, with officials in the United Kingdom, New Zealand and other jurisdictions citing the Australian model as a benchmark.

Throughout debates about the reforms, Ms Inman Grant has framed the measures not as censorship but as protective and age-appropriate safeguards designed to rebalance the relationship between vulnerable users and powerful digital ecosystems.

Her long career in technology and online safety, combined with her statutory authority under the Online Safety Act, have positioned her as a central figure in shaping how democratic societies seek to protect children in an era of pervasive connectivity.

The coming months will determine whether Australia’s bold intervention produces durable changes in how young people interact with the digital world, and how other nations adapt their own regulatory frameworks in response.