Australia becomes first country to introduce a minimum age for social media

Lawmakers in Australia have seen the country become the first in the world to introduce a minimum age for creating a social media account.

The law passed by the Australian Senate will require social media sites to only be accessible to those over 16, and face fines of up to AU$49.5 million (approximately £25.3 million) for failing to enforce the age restriction when it takes effect in November 2025. While many social media platforms have a self-imposed requirement that accountholders are at least 13-years-old, the Australian law will be the first time they will be mandated to have some form of age verification in place, going one step further than French legislation introduced last year requiring parental consent for under 15s to create accounts.

Details of which sites will be covered by the law remain unclear, although Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) have all been named by Australian communications minister, Michelle Rowland, as among those needing to comply, although the sites that will be affected by the legislation have not yet been formally detailed. Gaming and messaging platforms, such as Twitch and WhatsApp, are also understood to be exempt from rules, as well as YouTube, as its content can be accessed without an account.

Short-form video platform TikTok has hit back at proposals, arguing the Australian government’s definition of a social media platform is too broad and unclear. While Facebook and Instagram owner, Meta, has also criticised the legislation for failing to listen to young people in its drafting.

How age verification will be implemented by social media sites remains under consideration over the coming year, with the onus on platforms to deliver solutions. A number of other countries are also considering similar measures to reduce the exposure of young people to potentially harmful content online, including Norway, some US states, and the UK, with Science Secretary Peter Kyle telling Sky News last week that Ofcom would be ‘more assertive’ with social media platforms. Social media sites may also choose to do more to self-regulate in order to lessen the push from governments around the world to legislate against them further, such as rolling out a solution worldwide or withdrawing from some markets entirely.

Should stronger rules come into effect, brands and organisations that do interact with young people may need to consider how they reach their audience, with sectors such as education likely to needing to rethink how they communicate with prospective and current students. Similarly, influencer marketing programmes within sectors such as beauty, fashion and gaming could also see reduced returns.