Legal

Australia bans teens from social media, but nobody thinks it'll really work

Still, the ban has reset expectations and may reduce harm, and that’s kind of enough

Australia's ban on children under 16 holding active social media accounts comes into force on Wednesday. While nobody expects this world-first policy to stop every kid using their favorite online communities, its backers take solace in the mere fact it's sparked global debate.

The ban won’t stop kids using social media, and nobody disputes that. Even Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has admitted as much.

“From the beginning, we’ve acknowledged this process won’t be 100 per cent perfect,” he wrote in an opinion piece that compares the social media ban to laws that regulate underage drinking.

“The fact that teenagers occasionally find a way to have a drink doesn’t diminish the value of having a clear, national standard,” the PM added.

Albanese also said the policy is “about helping parents push back against peer pressure. You don’t have to worry that by stopping your child using social media, you’re somehow making them the odd one out.” The PM has also mentioned teen suicides linked to social media, and said the law aims to prevent further such tragedies, so no parent has to experience the anguish of losing a child to online bullying.

Unintended consequences

Having been told that the ban is essentially aspirational, Australia now waits to learn what its effect will be.

Local media is already full of stories about anguished kids whose circumstances mean social media is a lifeline they fear losing.

Other reports have noted a sudden signup spike for apps like Lemon8 and Yope that aren’t currently covered by the ban. That surge has made prophecy out of warnings that banning social media will just see kids shift to services operated by outfits even less interested in child safety than the likes of Meta and Google, and therefore harder for Australia to regulate.

Another common theme is the ban's potential to cause privacy problems, as social media companies can choose whatever age verification technology they think is best and some have decided to work with age-verification-as-a-service companies based outside Australia. Those companies may request a photo of a government ID, or a selfie to determine users’ ages. Criminals now know those companies will soon hold personal data describing many Australians.

Or perhaps they’ll hold junk data – another common story in local media describes kids who defeat age verification tech by wearing makeup, a mask, or just lying about their age.

Retailers are also worried because they think the ban will make it harder for them to attract teenage shoppers. And educators are trying to figure out which YouTube videos they can set as homework.

Australia’s government plans to measure the effectiveness of the ban by considering health statistics, but has already decided the policy has succeeded for two reasons.

One is that social media companies complied without putting up much of a fight. Big Tech has fiercely fought past Australian attempts to regulate their activities. Their mostly meek response to this new law means Australia’s government has claimed a win.

The other is that several other nations – among them Malaysia, France, Denmark, and New Zealand – have expressed admiration for Australia’s law and signaled an intention to adopt their own version of a teen ban. The European Union recently voted in support of a recommendation for a similar ban.

Australia’s leaders are therefore patting themselves on the back for leading the world, an attitude that’s mostly bipartisan, as the idea of the ban came from a past opposition leader.

The ban does face legal challenges. Reddit reportedly plans to file a case, and another is already before Australian courts.

Another possible flashpoint will come if Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, the regulator that oversees the ban, finds some platforms in breach of the law and therefore eligible for fines of AUD$49.5 million ($33 million). The PM says the threat of those fines means Australia will “hold these social media giants to account.” But significant non-compliance, or further legal challenges, would defy Albanese’s rhetoric. So would news of new tragedies befalling children, given the PM has touted the ban as delivering "peace of mind."

Lurking in the background is another potential source of trouble: US President Donald Trump, who has warned Europe its attempts to regulate American tech companies are unreasonable and may earn the bloc tariffs or other unfavorable treatments. The Trump administration has also been critical of some Australian policies, and this ban creates leverage Washington could use for other purposes. ®