Children are completely banned from using social networks - Australia

Australia was the first country in the world to officially prohibit children under 16 from using social networks. These restrictions will come into force on December 10, 2025. Oyina.uz reports this, citing foreign publications.

The Australian government has taken a historic step to protect young people from the dangers and pressures of the digital world. Starting December 10, 2025, new age restrictions on the use of social networks will come into force in the country.

Earlier, the Australian Parliament passed a law prohibiting minors under the age of 16 from using social networks.

The law stipulated that parents and children would not be penalized for violating the ban, but would be fined if the relevant companies failed to take measures to prevent minors from accessing the social network.

Failure to comply with these requirements may result in a fine of 49.5 million Australian dollars.

The new restrictions will apply to dozens of major platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube. These companies will have to restrict the use of networks belonging to Australians who have not reached the specified age, and delete existing accounts from the system.

Officials emphasize that the goal is not to punish children, but to force platforms to identify a minor audience and take "adequate measures" to restrict their access to networks.

Currently, Meta plans to send notifications to approximately 450 Australian teenagers with a proposal to delete their Instagram and Facebook accounts or freeze them until they reach the age of 16. TikTok, in turn, will deactivate approximately 200,000 user profiles based on an analysis of the number of relevant accounts and behavioral characteristics.

The Australian initiative sparked international discussions. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called this approach "wise" and announced that discussions are underway in Brussels regarding the introduction of a pan-European "Digital Age of Adulthood."

However, there are also doubts about the effectiveness of this measure: more than 140 scientists and human rights defenders expressed concern that such a "strict" measure would be ineffective and that teenagers could switch to less controlled, but more dangerous social networks.

The main test will be the implementation of the ban. Platforms are not required to conduct mandatory verification of identity documents, but they are expected to apply a comprehensive approach based on behavioral analysis, including network indicators and third-party services, to determine the user's age.

In general, Australia is becoming a global platform for testing the effectiveness of such rules. Whether this experiment is successful or unsuccessful will determine whether the Australian experience serves as an example for other countries.