From December 10, Australia officially applied a ban on children under 16 years old from owning social media accounts on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X or YouTube.
The new law requires technology companies to verify their age, rather than putting a burden on children or parents.
In the near term, Meta has disabled hundreds of thousands of accounts identified as underage users in Australia.
The ban was issued through the 2024 Online Safety Amendment Project, which puts a fine of up to 49.5 million AUDs for platforms that do not comply.
This is considered a strong step to reduce the risk of online bullying, toxic content, peer pressure and hunting behavior, which are issues that are increasingly seen as a threat to the mental health of adolescents.
According to eSafety, more than one million of the 27 million Australian people own social media accounts, with hundreds of thousands of users aged 1315.
Management agencies say that blocking children from creating accounts will help reduce exposure to addictive factors such as suggested algorithms and push-ups, which are the focus of many risks.
However, the ban was opposed by both businesses and young people.
ABC's survey shows that the majority of young people do not believe this measure is effective, 3/4 of whom have said they will find a way to continue using social media.
Technology companies have also criticized the law for being rushed and poorly designed, saying it could cost children access to safety features and parental controls.
The law stipulates that platforms must use many age verification measures, from behavior analysis, time of use, interaction, to facial or voice recognition technology.
However, they are not required to provide users with identification documents as the only option, to ensure privacy.
Children under 16 years old can still view public content but are not allowed to own an account.
The list of regulated platforms includes Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Reddit, X, YouTube, Twitch and Threads.
Some popular apps such as Discord, WhatsApp, Messenger, Roblox or YouTube Kids are exempted because they are considered to serve pure messaging or entertainment needs, but the management agency confirmed that it will continue to monitor.
Australia's ban is being closely monitored by many countries, including Denmark, Malaysia and the European Union, which are also considering similar policies.
Experts say this could become the first " Domino flag" in a global effort to tighten the responsibility of social media platforms.
