Australia's Under-16 Social Media Ban Is Live—Here's What Happens Next
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The eSafety Commissioner is demanding platforms report how many under-16 accounts they’ve closed since Monday. PM Albanese and Communications Minister Wells are framing this as “world-leading”—but teens at their press conference say they’re already losing access.
What Just Happened
Australia’s ban on social media for under-16s took effect on December 9, 2024. Two days in, Communications Minister Michelle Annika Wells announced that eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant will today write to all 10 “age-restricted social media platforms” asking for two numbers: how many under-16 accounts existed on December 9, and how many exist today (December 11). Monthly updates will follow, with the first public report expected before Christmas.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the ban “world-leading” and positioned it as a national security issue: “There is nothing more important than keeping our young Australians safe now and into the future.”
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What Is the Social Media Ban?
If you’re arriving cold: the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 makes it illegal for social media platforms to let under-16s create accounts. Platforms—not parents or kids—are responsible for age verification. The law passed both houses of Parliament in November 2024 with bipartisan support. Penalties for non-compliance can reach A$50 million per breach.
What Different Sides Say
Government (Labor – centre-left, governing): Albanese framed the law as parent-driven, not top-down. He name-dropped Wayne Holdsworth, a parent who lost his son Mac to social media-related harm, who spoke at Kirribilli House. The PM said the reform will be remembered as one of Labor’s top five achievements in government.
Opposition (Liberal-National Coalition – centre-right): Shadow Cabinet Secretary Zoe McKenzie (Liberal, Flinders) supports the policy but disputes Labor’s ownership of it. “This wasn’t even their policy,” she told Sky News. “We started talking about this in the 46th Parliament, Andrew Wallace was talking about it. In the 47th, I mentioned this in my maiden speech... Peter Dutton said we’re going to do it. Eventually, the Prime Minister comes to the party.” She described Albanese’s “victory lap” as “getting a bit tiresome” but acknowledged: “It’s a good policy.”
Students directly affected: At the press conference venue—John Paul II College in Canberra—students told ministers their accounts were already being removed. McKenzie offered a different youth perspective from her electorate: students in her democracy classes now say “thank you” for the reform. “I don’t want to have to be online all the time to do my snap things,” one reportedly told her. “They’re really quite grateful that they’re just going to get a little bit of breathing space.”
International observers: Albanese reported interviews with Japanese TV, CNN, BBC, and contact from “world leaders.” McKenzie added granular detail: France announced it will act from age 15-16 next year, Denmark is “already on board,” German policymakers and the EU/OECD are actively considering similar measures, and US Senator Josh Hawley (R-Missouri, described as “MAGA”) has praised Australia’s approach.
Expert voices (cited but not interviewed): McKenzie referenced Jonathan Haidt (The Anxious Generation), Jean Twenge (iGen), Australian researcher Brad Marshall, and Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, who visited McKenzie’s electorate to speak with students. Haugen is known for revealing that “Meta knows exactly the damage that’s being done to young people through the Instagram platform.”
Why It Matters to You
If you’re 13-15, you’re the transition generation. Some of you are losing accounts now. If you’re 16+, this doesn’t directly affect your access—but the verification systems platforms build might. The bipartisan support means this isn’t going away regardless of who wins the next election. And if you care about global digital rights, Australia is now the test case: France, Germany, Denmark, the EU, and US states are all watching to copy or critique.
What Happens Next
The eSafety Commissioner will collect platform data monthly and publish it publicly. The government is rolling out a 115-library summer program through the Australian Library and Information Association. From 2025, John Paul II College is banning devices for Year 7 entirely.
Bias Explanation: Adding the McKenzie interview shifts the balance toward Centrist/Moderate because both major parties now appear supporting the same policy, creating a bipartisan technocratic frame. The expenses coverage introduces cost-of-living populism that reads as Conservative/Right-Wing (taxpayer value, fiscal responsibility) but McKenzie’s defence of carer provisions also signals moderate-left concern for working parents. The overall package now presents genuine debate within a shared policy consensus, which is the textbook definition of centrist political discourse.
Bias comparisons derive from an AI-assisted evaluation of content sources and are protected by copyright held by Mencari News. Please share any feedback to newsdesk@readmencari.com
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