World news
🔞 Australia Blocks Social Media Access for Children Under 16
As of 10 December 2025, new regulations have come into force in Australia, requiring social media platforms to take reasonable steps to prevent Australians under 16 from creating or maintaining their accounts.
The stated goal is to protect young people from risks and psychological pressures caused by platform design and content that may harm their health and well-being.
Criteria for identifying regulated platforms:
🚫 the primary or significant purpose of the service is to enable social interaction between users online;
🚫 the service allows users to interact with or reference other users;
🚫 the service allows users to publish content.
Gaming services and standalone messaging apps are excluded from these rules.
No penalties apply to users under 16 or their parents, but platforms themselves face enforcement action if they fail to take steps to block accounts belonging to minors.
