Facebook, Instagram, Youtube or TikTok are among the banned applications and most of them guarantee that they will comply with the law
Children across Australia will wake up this Wednesday without access to their social media accounts, under a world-first ban designed to protect under-16s from addictive algorithms, online predators and digital bullying.
No other country has taken such comprehensive measures, and the implementation of the strict new law is being closely watched by lawmakers around the world.
Most of the 10 banned platforms – Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Snapchat, YouTube, TikTok, Kick, Reddit, Twitch and X – say they will comply with the ban, using age verification technology to identify under-16s and suspend their accounts, although they do not believe this will make children safer.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is already presenting the ban as a success because families are discussing the use of social media. Some children – and their parents – are expected to ignore the ban, but there are no consequences for either party.
“We say very clearly that this will not be perfect… but it is the right thing to do so that society expresses its opinions, its judgment, about what is appropriate,” Albanese told the public channel ABC on Sunday.
Under the law, platforms must demonstrate that they have taken “reasonable measures” to deactivate accounts used by children under 16 and prevent the creation of new accounts, in order to avoid fines that can reach 49.5 million Australian dollars (around 27 million euros).
What are the platforms doing
Users of the Snapchat their accounts will be suspended for three years or until they turn 16.
Account holders YouTube will be automatically disconnected on December 10th. Your channels will no longer be visible; however, the data will be saved so that they can reactivate their accounts when they turn 16. Kids will still be able to watch YouTube without signing in.
Or TikTok says that all accounts used by children under 16 will be deactivated on December 10th. It claims that it doesn’t matter which email is used or whose name the account is in – its age verification technology will determine who uses it. Content previously posted by young users will no longer be visible. The platform is also encouraging parents who suspect their children have lied about their age when opening accounts to report them.
A Twitch states that no under-16s in Australia will be able to create new accounts on the live-streaming platform popular with gamers from December 10, but current accounts held by under-16s will not be deactivated until January 9. The company did not respond to a request for clarification on the reason for the delay.
A Meta began removing accounts belonging to teens under 16 on Instagram, Facebook and Threads on December 4th. Users were invited to download their content, which will be available if they wish to reactivate their account upon turning 16.
O Reddit stated that it will suspend accounts of users under the age of 16 and prevent the opening of new accounts.
O X has not responded to questions about how it will enforce the ban, but is fiercely opposed to the legislation as a violation of freedom of expression.
A Kicka streaming service similar to Twitch, did not respond to requests for comment.
What platforms are not included?
Along with the list of banned sites, there is another list of platforms that are not considered part of the ban – at least for now. They are: Discord, GitHub, Google Classroom, LEGO Play, Messenger, Pinterest, Roblox, Steam and Steam Chat, WhatsApp and YouTube Kids.
The decision to exclude Roblox was seen by many Australians as a difficult choice to explain, given the recent release of allegations that children were targeted by adult predators within its games.
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman-Grant said talks with Roblox began in June and that the company agreed to introduce new controls, which are being implemented this month in Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands, and elsewhere in January.
Users will need to verify their age to activate chat functions and will only be able to chat with someone of a similar age.
How are platforms identifying accounts held by children under 16?
Prohibited platforms already had a good idea of who used their services through the date of birth entered when creating accounts, but the new law requires them to actively verify ages.
This has led to objections from some adult users who fear being forced to verify their age. The Age Assurance Technology Trial, held earlier this year, convinced the government that it is possible to do age checks without compromising privacy.
Platforms are verifying ages through live video selfies, email addresses or official documents. According to Yoti, an age verification company whose clients include Meta, most users opt for the video selfie, which uses facial data points to estimate age.
How are the children reacting?
Some look for alternative platforms that offer similar services and are not banned.
Yope, a photo-sharing platform, said it attracted 100,000 new Australian users through word of mouth as the ban approached. Lemon8, a TikTok-like platform also owned by ByteDance, has been promoted among teenagers as an alternative.
Both platforms have been notified by the eSafety Commissioner. Lemon8 says it will comply with the new Australian laws, while Yope told CNN the ban does not apply to it because it does not allow messaging with strangers.
Commissioner eSafety says the list of banned sites is dynamic and that new sites may be added as they gain popularity or offer new services.
The changing nature of the list, and the incentive for other operators to attract millions of teenagers looking for alternatives, has led to criticism that the government has created a game of “whack-a-mole” that is unlikely to win.
Youth counselors and support groups are concerned that children who rely on social media for inclusion will end up in unregulated digital spaces where there are even fewer protections, and are watching to see where they migrate.
What happens next?
Part of the motivation for the ban was to get kids away from the internet and get them more involved in the real world, and that’s something authorities plan to measure.
“We will look at everything from whether children sleep more, whether they interact more, whether they take less antidepressants, whether they read more books, whether they go outside and do sport,” Commissioner Inman-Grant said during the Sydney Dialogue last week.
But he said they will also monitor unintended consequences.
“Are they going to darker areas of the internet, and what is the result?”
Six experts from Stanford University’s Social Media Lab will work with the eSafety Commissioner to collect data, and the entire process will be reviewed by an independent Academic Advisory Group, made up of 11 academics from the United States, United Kingdom and Australia.
Stanford University said its approach, methods and conclusions will be published for scrutiny by researchers, the public and policymakers around the world.
“We hope the evidence generated can directly support and inform decision-making by other countries as they seek to promote online safety for children in their jurisdictions,” the university said in a statement.
