Australia Enforces Social Media Age Limit

Australia is set to enforce a new law from December 10, banning social media accounts for children under 16. Platforms including Meta Platforms, Meta Platforms — Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snap Inc., Threads, ByteDance — TikTok Shop, X, Google — YouTube, and Amazon — Twitch face fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) if they fail to take reasonable steps to remove underage accounts. The Australia — ESafety Commissioner will send monthly notices to these platforms, demanding reports on account closures. Alphabet Inc. announced that Google — YouTube will sign out Australian users under 16, while Meta Platforms will remove suspected underage users from its platforms. The Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 is seeking a Australia — High Court of Australia injunction against the law. This move by Australia reflects a growing international trend, with Malaysia planning a similar ban from 2026 and the International — European Commission, France, Denmark, Greece, Romania, and New Zealand also considering minimum age requirements for social media.