Australia becomes the first country in the world to ban the use of social media for children under 16, the law comes into effect on Wednesday

Australia will become the first country in the world to ban social media for children under 16.

The law will come into effect tomorrow, Wednesday, December 10, 2025.
Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube are being forced to block more than a million accounts, marking the start of a long-awaited global wave of regulations.

From midnight (local time, 3:00 PM today in Albania), 10 of the largest platforms will have to block Australians under the age of 16 or face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars (28.1 million euros).

The law has been sharply criticized by big tech companies and free speech advocates, but has also been praised by parents and children's rights advocates.

The law's entry into force ends a year of speculation about whether a country could exclude children from using the technology that has become part of modern life.

Governments from Denmark to Malaysia and even some states in the US say they are planning similar steps, four years after leaked internal documents from Meta showed that the company knew its products were contributing to body image problems and suicidal thoughts in teenagers, while publicly denying any such link existed.

"While Australia is the first to adopt such restrictions, it is unlikely to be the last," says Tayma Lever, professor of internet studies at Curtin University.

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