Starting on Dec. 10, 2025, many Australian teens will no longer be online as much as their peers in other countries. The recently passed Social Media Minimum Age Bill stipulates that a person must be at least 16 years old to have an account on platforms like TikTok, SnapChat and YouTube. Across the world, people young and old are increasingly recognizing the negative impacts that social media has on adolescents. Nearly half of teens in the U.S. claim these platforms harm people their age, with parents even more concerned. While several U.S. states have introduced legislation to safeguard kids online, a national ban seems a long way off. Australia, by contrast, fast-tracked its prohibition. Tech companies in Australia now face fines of nearly 50 million AUD ($32 million), prompting them to figure out how to keep kids under 16 off their platforms.
