KUALA LUMPUR – Australian teenagers will soon face a stark choice: download their data, freeze their profiles, or lose their accounts altogether when a world-first ban on social media use by children under 16 takes effect on December 10.
Major platforms including TikTok, Snapchat, and Meta’s Facebook, Instagram, and Threads are gearing up to deactivate accounts registered to users under 16, five sources familiar with the plans told Reuters.
For the country’s other 20 million social media users, roughly 80 per cent of the population — the transition is expected to be smooth, as companies pledge to comply with minimal disruption. The law puts Australia at the forefront of global efforts to protect young people from online harm.
The move marks a sharp contrast to the chaotic scenarios predicted during a year of lobbying by tech firms, which warned of user losses and potential A$49.5 million (RM133.65million) fines for noncompliance. They argued that compulsory age checks would be invasive, inaccurate, and easy to bypass.
In practice, the platforms will rely on software already used for marketing and engagement analysis such as estimating age based on “likes” and activity instead of repeatedly asking users to verify birth dates. Age assurance apps will only be used when users contest an age determination, according to the sources.
These apps, however, are not foolproof. Trials revealed occasional errors such as blocking 16- and 17-year-olds or mistakenly approving 15-year-olds that could expose companies to regulatory penalties.
Julie Dawson, chief policy officer at Yoti, which provides age verification for Meta and TikTok, said disruptions should be short-lived.
“There'll be a maximum of two to three weeks of people getting to grips with something that they do daily, and then it's old news,” she was quoted saying by Reuters.
Meta, Snapchat, TikTok, and Google — owner of YouTube declined to comment. During parliamentary hearings in October, all except Google confirmed plans to comply and to reach out to young users, though details were not disclosed.
Meanwhile, Australia’s rollout will be closely watched by other countries seeking to curb technology’s impact on young users, including links to bullying, mental distress, and obesity.
Britain and France introduced age checks for pornography sites earlier this year, while Denmark announced plans to ban under-15s from social media. But similar moves in France and Florida have met pushback over feasibility and free speech concerns.
“The rest of the world is looking at Australia for this new weapon to deal with the apparent problems that some digital platforms are presenting us with,” said Stephen Wilson, founder of identity verification consultancy Lockstep, which advises both the Australian and U.S. governments.
Under the law, platforms must take “reasonable steps” to block minors, including detecting visits through virtual private networks (VPNs) that mask a user’s location.
Beyond VPN circumvention, companies also face the risk of losing young audiences to platforms not covered by the ban.
“I’m no fortune teller (but) it could happen that some other platforms would take over,” said Hassan Asghar, a senior computer science lecturer at Macquarie University.
Blocking minors without parental consent
Governments worldwide have grappled with how to protect children online since leaked Meta documents in 2021 revealed the harmful effects of social media on teenagers. In Australia, public concern intensified after the publication of The Anxious Generation and a campaign by News Corp’s local arm earlier this year.
The new law, which overcame opposition from free speech advocates and digital content creators, requires platforms to block minors without parental discretion. TikTok, which told parliament it has about 200,000 Australian users aged 13 to 15, said it is developing a “report underage user” button to assist enforcement.
Kick, the only Australian-owned firm affected by the ban, said it “will be compliant” and plans to roll out “a range of measures” following scrutiny over its lax moderation policies.
Users who believe they have been wrongly identified as underage will be directed to third-party age assurance apps, which estimate age from selfies. If that fails, they may upload identification documents — though 16- and 17-year-olds could face added difficulty, as they are less likely to have a driver’s licence or other valid ID.
“A lot of the technological methods of age verification will fail in that narrow band,” said Daswin De Silva, a computing professor at La Trobe University.
“For people wrongly barred, it’s probably going to be service distortion, service failure, for a couple of days or weeks maybe until the platforms figure this out.” - November 12, 2025
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