Teens in Australia Losing Access to Their Social Media Pages as Ban Regulation Activated

Following the ban on social media for teenagers under 16, designated users are losing access to their accounts.

The Australian government introduced a new law — the Online Safety Amendment Bill 2024 — taking effect on December 10, 2025, that mandates social media platforms to prevent users in the country from creating or maintaining accounts. This includes Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, X, Reddit, Twitch, and Kick.

The goal is to protect teens from cyberbullying, harmful content, and mental health issues. As the effective date approaches, users under 16 are losing their access.

According to reports, the number of such unauthorized users is in the millions.

This is the world’s first such age-restricting ban on social media at a large scale.

Parents and children will not be punished for breaking the rules, but social media companies could face fines up to $33 million.

Last September, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the plan to apply age limits on social media use, and by late November 28, both houses of parliament passed legislation to ban children under 16 from social media under the world’s strictest laws.

“We want our kids to have a childhood and parents to know we have their backs,” Albanese said while introducing the idea of age-restriction of social media.