Australia’s new social media ban comes into effect today, restricting all users under 16 from holding accounts on major platforms including TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Reddit, Instagram, Facebook, Kick, Twitch, Threads and X.
The new legislation is aimed to reduce the risks young people face online.
Platforms aren’t required to verify every user, but must detect, deactivate and remove under-age accounts and avoid relying solely on self-declaration – or risk fines of up to $49.5 million.
Instagram has announced it will use artificial intelligence to estimate the ages of Australian users, but early testing suggests nine out of 10 teen accounts would remain active under the new system.
University of NSW Security & Privacy expert Dr Rahat Masood says many under-16s don’t have government-issued ID, so companies will likely rely on AI systems to verify age, but warns these models are far from perfect – often experiencing hallucinations and biases.
