Under 16s are no longer allowed to access social media platforms in Australia. The new ban has been in the works for some time, and will see TikTok, X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Threads and Snapchat accounts being blocked.
Australia have made a stand to protect minors against the harsh realities of being online. However, it hasn’t been appreciated by most of these teens. You see, the country’s government has placed a ban on those under 16 being able to use social media.
Thousands of teenagers woke up to see their social media accounts no longer worked. They were being blocked from entering the platforms, with a notice appearing as soon as they tried accessing it. Of course, there will always be ways around it.
The rules brought in will see any account owned by someone under the age of 16 instantly deactivated. It’s been a long time coming though and no secret, so teens did have the chance to download and save all their uploaded content prior to the ban.
Minors will also now not be able to set up new accounts either. Although, as you’ll see in the video above, this hasn’t stopped all kids from accessing the platforms. Many have accounts set up as someone much older. We’re not recommending this, though.
The ban has been brought into place for a reason and if we’re honest, we back it. Though we might be a digital platform, we fully support the ban. Social media is a toxic environment, sadly, and far too many youngsters are falling into dangerous situations.
Whether it be bullying, seeing harmful content or being introduced to people who do not have good intentions, it’s so easily done on social platforms. Unfortunately, no matter how great parental controls are, you’ll never see everything that goes on.
Why has Australia banned social media?
The region brought in the ban for minors because of the negative impact it has on their mental health and often physical wellbeing too. There’s no way of completely keeping younger users safe, and they aren’t always as likely to report bad behaviour for fear of repercussions.
Within a study conducted in 2025, 96% of children ages 10-15 were found to use social media, and 7 out of 10 of those were exposed to harmful content. This content included misogynistic and violent material, and content promoting suicide and eating disorders.
We cannot expect children to have the same level of rational thinking as adults. Being exposed to this kind of content could really sway their opinions without them even realising, and once the damage is done, it’s so hard to undo. Especially as parents aren’t always aware of what they’ve been exposed to.
More than half of the children in the study said they had been a victim of cyberbullying at some point, that result is staggering. It’s even more worrying that 1 in 7 reported grooming behaviour online from adults or children older than themselves.
What platforms are blocked in Australia?
Ten platforms have now been blocked for younger users. They are; Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, Reddit, Kick, Twitch, and YouTube. The government have made these decisions based on the following criteria:
- whether the platform’s sole or “significant purpose” is to enable online social interaction between two or more users;
- whether it allows users to interact with some or all other users; and
- whether it allows users to post material
YouTube Kids, Google Classroom and WhatsApp are not banned, and they currently do not have any plan to restrict them. It appears they do not fall into these criteria. Those under 16 will be allowed to view content on these platforms, providing they do not need an account.
For example, often, you can view a TikTok video, or an Instagram post without being logged into an account, providing you have a direct link. They’ll still be able to click on these, but cannot interact. People have now asked for the ban to cover Roblox and Discord too.
