Australia sets 16 minimum age for social media accounts

Australia has made 16 the legal floor for social media accounts, shifting responsibility from parents and teenagers to the platforms themselves. The rule, which took effect in December 2025, has become a test case for whether governments can police teen access without demanding age verification from every user.

The Albanese government legislated the change through the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024, which passed Parliament on 29 November 2024 after National Cabinet backed the plan. Canberra said social media companies must take reasonable steps to keep under-16s from holding accounts, and platforms that systematically fail to comply can face fines of up to A$49.5 million.

Supporters in Australia cast the law as a child-protection measure aimed at a critical stage of development. The government said it followed consultation with young people, parents and carers, academics, child development experts, community and industry groups, First Nations youth, and state and territory governments. Anthony Albanese has described the debate around social media as one of the biggest social and cultural changes the country has faced, underscoring the political weight attached to the policy.

The practical question is enforcement. Final rules revealed by the government made clear that platforms do not have to verify the age of every user, a sign that the system is designed as a lighter-touch obligation rather than a universal identity check. That has appealed to ministers who want the law to be workable, but it has also fuelled criticism that companies can still leave loopholes open while claiming compliance. The government initially planned to exempt YouTube, then reversed course after consultation and advice from eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, bringing the video platform into the under-16 rules.

The argument is spreading beyond Australia. In South Yorkshire, more than 1,700 parents and another 1,500 in Derbyshire signed a petition urging Keir Starmer to raise the UK social media age to 16. Campaigners from Smartphone Free Childhood Sheffield, including Ruth Fitzell, say families in Sheffield have had enough of addictive and toxic online platforms. That pressure shows how Australia’s policy is being sold internationally as a model, even as critics question whether any government can realistically stop determined teenagers from getting through.