{"id":16206,"date":"2025-12-25T09:47:38","date_gmt":"2025-12-25T09:47:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ugandaupdatenews.com\/?p=16206"},"modified":"2025-12-25T15:50:26","modified_gmt":"2025-12-25T15:50:26","slug":"australias-has-now-effected-world-first-social-media-ban-for-under-16s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/australias-has-now-effected-world-first-social-media-ban-for-under-16s\/","title":{"rendered":"Australia’s has now effected world-first social media ban for under-16s"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Australia’s world-first social media ban for under-16s has commenced, with Meta closing the accounts of underage users. Here’s everything you need to know about the changes.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With Australia’s social media ban for under-16s taking effect, platforms are bracing themselves for the forced closure of accounts belonging to underage Australian users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor all our users aged 15 and under, we understand the importance of the treasured memories, connections, and content within your accounts,\u201d says Meta regional policy director Mia Garlick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLook out for our official notifications and follow the instructions to safely preserve and download your digital history across Instagram, Threads, and Facebook.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen you turn 16 and can access our apps again all your content will be available exactly as you left it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new legislation is part of the government\u2019s increasing scrutiny<\/a> of the operations of tech companies within Australia, and the impact social media is having on the mental health of young Australians<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSocial media is doing harm to our kids, and I\u2019m calling time on it,\u201d Albanese says when first introducing his proposed ban last year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having spoken to \u2018thousands\u2019 of Australian parents, Albanese says his decision to fast-track the new legislation is rooted in the negative impact social media<\/a> continues to have on developing minds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey, like me, are worried sick about the safety of our kids online,\u201d he says. \u201cI want Australian parents and families to know that the government has your back. I want parents to be able to say, \u2018Sorry, mate, that\u2019s against the law.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How will the ban be enforced?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Under the new legislation, users under the age of 16 who manage to access a social media platform will not be subject to penalties, nor will their parents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, the Prime Minister says the responsibility of enforcing this age limit will lie with the individual tech companies and platforms to \u201cdemonstrate they are taking reasonable steps to prevent access\u201d for underage users. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe eSafety commissioner will have responsibility for enforcement, and there needs to be enhanced penalties to ensure compliance,\u201d says Communications Minister Michelle Rowland, referencing the ineffectiveness of current penalties below $1m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Albanese and his government have declared there will be strict penalties for social media platforms that do not comply with the new regulations, the world-first legislation has not come without plenty of criticism, with many questioning how the ban will effectively be enforced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Growing<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Growing up in the age of social media has had an immense impact. Image: iStock<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which platforms have banned under-16s?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Social media platforms that the legislation deems ‘age-restricted’ \u2013 Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, X and TikTok \u2013 will be forbidden from allowing children under 16 to create an account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parents of children under 16 will also be unable to provide consent for their children to create social media accounts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of now, the platforms subject to the under-16 ban are as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Facebook<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Instagram<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Snapchat<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • YouTube<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Threads<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • TikTok<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • X (formerly Twitter)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Reddit<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Kick<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    With Kick and Reddit only recently being added to the list, the government has expressed that, prior to the legislation coming into effect on December 10, the age restrictions could be extended to even more platforms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Platforms currently exempt from the ban include popular streaming platforms Discord and Twitch, and messaging apps such as Messenger and WhatsApp. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What happens to existing under-16s accounts?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    According to the new legislation, active accounts currently existing on the proposed age-restricted platforms will be deactivated and deleted, with the platforms themselves required to take reasonable steps to enforce this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Albanese and Rowland have previously expressed the possibility of introducing biometric scanning technology to verify social media users\u2019 ages and identities via a government database, yet it is currently unknown how all tech companies will respond. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has already expressed a willingness to comply with the government\u2019s proposed legislation, yet has outlined concerns about the required technology to enforce it on its end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Companies and platforms that are found not to comply with the new legislation could face fines of up to $49.5 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Editor:msserwanga@gmail.com<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Australia’s world-first social media ban for under-16s has commenced, with Meta closing the accounts of underage users. Here’s everything you<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16207,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[197],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/download-5.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":15035,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/australia-joins-a-growing-list-of-countries-that-have-banned-the-use-of-social-media-by-children-under-the-age-of-16\/","url_meta":{"origin":16206,"position":0},"title":"Australia Joins A Growing List Of Countries That Have Banned The Use Of Social Media By Children Under The Age Of 16","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"August 1, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The Australian government has banned access to social media by children under the age of 16 . The Norwegian government recently proposed raising the age at which children can consent to the terms required to use social media to 15 years from 13 years currently, although parents would still be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "National News"","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/national-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/UB7KC62EENPNFNE5WGGEEMZ3WU.avif","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/UB7KC62EENPNFNE5WGGEEMZ3WU.avif 1x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/UB7KC62EENPNFNE5WGGEEMZ3WU.avif 1.5x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/UB7KC62EENPNFNE5WGGEEMZ3WU.avif 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11387,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/uganda-lawmakers-should-act-as-usa-congress-says-kids-arent-safe-on-social-media\/","url_meta":{"origin":16206,"position":1},"title":"Uganda Lawmakers Should Act As USA Congress Says Kids Aren\u2019t Safe On Social Media","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"January 31, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":". 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