
More than one million Australian children awoke on Wednesday locked out of their social media accounts under a world-first ban that bars anyone under 16 from major platforms.
The Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 came into force on 10 December, requiring ten platforms to take 'reasonable steps' to prevent under-16s from creating or keeping accounts. TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, X, Reddit, Threads, Twitch, and Kick must now verify users' ages or face court-imposed fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars - approximately £26 million.