Australia today became the first country in the world to prohibit children under 16 from using social media — ordering 10 major social media platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, X and Snapchat to enforce the ban or face fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars (R565 million).
The measure is attracting global attention as governments grapple with growing concerns over how social media affects young people’s mental health and safety.
According to The Guardian, polling has consistently shown that the social media ban enjoys two thirds of Australian voters’ support.
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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called today “a proud day” for families and cast the new law as proof that policymakers can curb online harms that have outpaced traditional safeguards, reports Reuters
“This will make an enormous difference. It is one of the biggest social and cultural changes that our nation has faced,” Albanese told a news conference today.
“It’s a profound reform which will continue to reverberate around the world.”
In a video message, Albanese urged children to “start a new sport, new instrument, or read that book that has been sitting there for some time on your shelf”, ahead of Australia’s summer school break starting later this month.
Australian Christian Lobby CEO Michelle Pearse welcomed the decision, calling it “a significant step forward in safeguarding children online”.
“This move addresses well-documented concerns about the vulnerability of children on these platforms, including exposure to predators, pornographic and other harmful content, and the heightened risk of mental health issues linked to social media use,” she said.
Dr Robert Barfield lecturer in practical theology at Oak Hill College told Premier Christian News the ban risks sending the message that young Christians cannot be trusted to use digital spaces safely.
He said that children were “made in the image of God” and should be listened to, noting that young Australians interviewed by other media had already expressed mixed views.
“Some were saying, ‘It’s quite insulting actually. You don’t trust us on this,” he said.
Barfield cautioned that removing teenagers entirely from social media could backfire. “If a young person hits 16 having never been on social media… to suddenly be on there would actually be more dangerous.”
He added that many under-16s would likely find ways around restrictions because “they are better at tech than us old folk”.
Barfield said Christians needed a more balanced view of digital life. “God has created technology as both a blessing and a curse… We see connectivity and creativity, but we also see harm,” he said.
He argued that withdrawing young believers from online spaces entirely implies that “you can’t be a Christian on there”.
He urged churches and parents to help teenagers navigate social media thoughtfully, saying, “We need to take young people as individuals… and work out a healthy way forward where they can be faith-filled Christians online.”
For a South African perspective, I asked my daughter, Anna Heydenrych, a Christian mom of three young children for her response to the Australian measure. She said: “I think that it’s unfortunate that kids are exposed to social media; adults can hardly handle it. But I feel as a parent that it’s my job to teach my children and decide when and how they are ready. I don’t think that having governments impose laws like this will necessarily help children and it’s a slippery slope towards doing away with our autonomy.”
“Also, if parents rely on this ban, thinking that the government is taking care of it, they won’t take responsibility and face their role in helping kids navigate it and the kids will be secretly navigating it on their own,” she said.
Of the platforms affected, all except Elon Musk’s X have said they plan to comply, relying on age-verification tools such as age-inference technology, user selfies, ID documents or bank-linked accounts. Musk has argued publicly that the effort “seems like a backdoor way to control access to the internet by all Australians.” A High Court challenge backed by a libertarian lawmaker is pending.
Daily Declaration reports that in a submission to a Greens-led Senate inquiry, X declared: “We have serious concerns as to the lawfulness of the Social Media Minimum Age, including its compatibility with other regulations and laws, including international human rights treaties to which Australia is a signatory.”
The company noted less than 1% of its Australian users were under 16, but warned that banning children from large platforms could drive them to unregulated and dangerous alternatives.
“Not least amongst these concerns is the risk that when minors are barred from mainstream, regulated social media services, they will migrate to less moderated or entirely unregulated alternatives, thereby exposing them to greater potential harms,” X said.
Critics of the law have asked why the legislation was rushed through Parliament in just one week. After tabling the bill, the government allowed only two business days for the Senate to review it. This meant the public was given only one day for submissions, with just a three-hour hearing before the Senate had to bang out its report, the next day — the last sitting day of the year, November 29.
The Independent reports that in the hours before the law came into force, many young Australian users posted mournful public farewells. “No more social media,” one teenager said on TikTok: “No more contact with the rest of the world.”
Two Australian teens have already sued to block the law, claiming it violates their rights to political expression. And other critics have raised free speech and privacy concerns, reports CNN.
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