Australia orders social media to deactivate under-16 accounts from December

Australia’s under-16 social media ban takes effect Dec 10, requiring platforms to detect and deactivate underage accounts. Companies face fines up to AUD 49.5 million if they fail to take reasonable steps to enforce the landmark law.

Canberra: Social media companies will be required to detect and deactivate accounts held by underage children when Australia’s world-first under-16 ban comes into effect in December, the government revealed on Tuesday.

The federal government on Tuesday released regulatory guidance for technology companies to comply with the under-16 social media ban ahead of it coming into effect on December 10.

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The guidance says that social media platforms will be expected to initially focus on the detection and deactivation of existing accounts held by children younger than 16, and on taking reasonable steps to prevent those whose accounts have been removed from immediately creating a new account.

Platforms will not be required to test the age of every user and will not be told by the government which technology to use for age assurance, the guidance says, but will need to provide transparent and accessible information about how they are enforcing the ban as well as a process for disputes.

Under the legislation for the ban, which passed the federal parliament in December 2024, companies that fail to take “reasonable steps” to enforce the ban will face fines worth up to 49.5 million Australian dollars ($33 million).

Releasing the guidelines on Tuesday, Communications Minister Anika Wells and Julie Inman Grant, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, said at a press conference that they do not expect the ban to be fully effective instantly.

“We are not anticipating perfection here, these are world-leading laws, but we are requiring meaningful change through reasonable steps that will seek cultural change and a chilling effect that will keep kids safe,” Wells said.

Grant said that the government recognises that building the required systems and technology will take some time, and that her agency would initially focus on systemic failures by platforms to apply the policy and processes that they are required to, Xinhua news agency reported.

The government, in August, released the results of a trial that found age assurance technologies can be effectively used to enforce age-related eligibility requirements.