Anti-Social

Around the world, people have grown increasingly concerned about social media’s potential harm to the mental health of young people.

Now Australia’s trying something drastic to fix the situation: In November, lawmakers there passed one of the world’s most restrictive social media age laws. It’s intended to prevent Australians under 16 from creating accounts on social media platforms, banning millions of teens and tweens from TikTok, Instagram, and a host of other apps.

“This is about protecting young people—not punishing or isolating them,” says Michelle Rowland, Australia’s communications minister.

The legislation has broad support among Australians. But critics say major questions remain about how the law will be enforced, how users’ privacy will be guarded, and, fundamentally, whether the ban will actually protect children.

People worldwide have become more concerned about social media’s potential harm to the mental health of young people.

Now Australian lawmakers are trying something drastic to fix the situation. In November, they passed one of the world’s most restrictive social media age laws. Australians under 16 will be prevented from creating accounts on certain social media platforms. That means millions of teens and tweens will be banned from TikTok, Instagram, and a host of other apps.

“This is about protecting young people—not punishing or isolating them,” says Michelle Rowland, Australia’s communications minister.

The legislation has broad support among Australians. But critics say major questions remain. They question how the law will be enforced and how users’ privacy will be guarded. They also wonder whether the ban will actually protect children.

Recent public health warnings have tied the mental health crisis among teenagers and young adults to online usage. Headlines warn that mental health-related E.R. visits are up and anxiety is skyrocketing. In the United States, nearly half of teens say they’re online almost constantly, up from 24 percent a decade ago. And 23 percent of them say that using social media makes them feel worse about their life, according to Pew Research Center.

The Australian law requires social media companies to take reasonable steps to assess users’ ages and prohibit those under 16 from opening accounts. Platforms that don’t comply could face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars (about $32 million). The law doesn’t target underage users or their parents for punishment.

The bill doesn’t specify which platforms the ban will cover, but the government has named TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, Instagram, and X as sites it’s likely to include. Three broad categories of platforms are exempted from the law: messaging apps (such as WhatsApp), gaming platforms, and services that provide educational content, including YouTube.

Recent public health warnings have tied the mental health crisis among teenagers and young adults to online usage. Headlines warn that mental health-related E.R. visits are up. Anxiety is skyrocketing. In the United States, nearly half of teens say they’re online almost constantly. This is up from 24 percent 10 years ago. According to Pew Research Center, 23 percent of teens say that using social media makes them feel worse about their life.

The Australian law requires social media companies to take reasonable steps to assess users’ ages. Those under 16 are prohibited from opening accounts. Platforms that don’t comply could face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars (about $32 million). The law doesn’t target underage users or their parents for punishment.

The bill doesn’t specify which platforms the ban will cover. The government has named TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, Instagram, and X as sites it’s likely to include. Three broad categories of platforms are exempted from the law: messaging apps (such as WhatsApp), gaming platforms, and services that provide educational content, including YouTube.

It’s unclear how platforms will verify users’ ages. The law specifies that they can’t force users to provide government identification, a measure added in response to privacy concerns. Other methods the government has suggested include so-called age assurance technologies, such as using a facial scan to determine a user’s approximate age, or estimating age based on online behavior. Some of those technologies are already in use. Facebook, for example, is teaching artificial intelligence (A.I.) to estimate users’ ages by looking at things like the birthday messages they receive.

But Daniel Angus, the director of the Digital Media Research Centre at the Queensland University of Technology, says it’s unrealistic for the government to base its law on that kind of technology, as A.I. is still in development and in no way foolproof. He adds that there are “huge” privacy concerns about using A.I.: “All of this allows, in some way, the ability to track users online.”

It’s unclear how platforms will verify users’ ages. In response to privacy concerns, the law specifies that they can’t force users to provide government identification. Other methods the government has suggested include so-called age assurance technologies. These include things such as using a facial scan to determine a user’s approximate age, or estimating age based on online behavior. Some of those technologies are already in use. Facebook, for example, is teaching artificial intelligence (A.I.) to estimate users’ ages by looking at things like the birthday messages they receive.

But Daniel Angus, the director of the Digital Media Research Centre at the Queensland University of Technology, says it’s unrealistic for the government to base its law on that emerging technology. A.I. is still in development and in no way foolproof. He adds that there are “huge” privacy concerns about using A.I.: “All of this allows, in some way, the ability to track users online.”

Social media companies have until the fall to meet the requirements. Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, said the proposal “overlooks the practical reality of age assurance technology, as well as the views of a majority of mental health and youth safety organizations in the country.”

This isn’t the first time a government has tried to limit young peoples’ use of online platforms: France passed a law in 2023 requiring parental consent for social media users under 15. And in January, Florida started imposing a ban for users under 14 and requiring parental consent for 14- and 15-year-olds, but that law could face constitutional challenges. Experts say it’s unlikely that Congress would pass a nationwide social media ban for American teens, although the Kids Off Social Media Act —introduced in Congress in 2024—would prohibit social media companies from using algorithms to recommend content to users under 17.

Social media companies have until the fall to meet the new requirements. Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, said the proposal “overlooks the practical reality of age assurance technology, as well as the views of a majority of mental health and youth safety organizations in the country.”

This isn’t the first time a government has tried to limit young people’s use of online platforms. in 2023, France passed a law requiring parental consent for social media users under 15. And in January, Florida started imposing a ban for users under 14. The Florida law also requires parental consent for 14- and 15-year-olds. It could face constitutional challenges. Experts say it’s unlikely that Congress would pass a nationwide social media ban for American teens. The Kids Off Social Media Act—introduced in Congress in 2024—would prohibit social media companies from using algorithms to recommend content to users under 17.

Some young people predict that Australia’s new law won’t work. Leo Puglisi, a 17-year-old Australian who runs 6 News, a site that’s staffed mostly by teens, says he’s confident that his 14-year-old brother would easily find a way to circumvent any restriction. Social media is an integral part of growing up today, Leo argues, and it helps young people find community. A blanket ban will do little to counteract the dangers.

“None of the harmful content would be removed. It just kicks the can down the road and throws you into the deep end at 16,” he says. “It might sound good on paper, but in reality, it’s not practical.”

Other critics say governments should instead force social media companies to do a better job of moderating and removing harmful content.

“They are not fixing the potholes; they are just telling our kids there won’t be any cars,” says Kylea Tink, a lawmaker representing North Sydney.

Despite the concerns, polls show that a large majority of Australians favor the ban. Dany Elachi, who has five children under 15, says the law would change the norms around social media usage, as many parents feel they have no choice but to let their children use it so they don’t feel left out.

“When you think your child might be isolated, that’s what puts parents under a lot of pressure,” says Elachi, co-founder of the Heads Up Alliance, a network trying to delay children’s use of social media and smartphones. “[But] if everybody misses out, no one misses out.”

Some young people predict that Australia’s new law won’t work. Leo Puglisi, a 17-year-old Australian who runs 6 News, a site that’s staffed mostly by teens, says he’s confident that his 14-year-old brother would easily find a way to get around any restriction. Social media is an integral part of growing up today, Leo argues. It helps young people find community. A blanket ban will do little to counteract the dangers.

“None of the harmful content would be removed. It just kicks the can down the road and throws you into the deep end at 16,” he says. “It might sound good on paper, but in reality, it’s not practical.”

Other critics say governments should instead force social media companies to do a better job of moderating and removing harmful content.

“They are not fixing the potholes; they are just telling our kids there won’t be any cars,” says Kylea Tink, a lawmaker representing North Sydney.

Despite the concerns, polls show that a large majority of Australians support the ban. Dany Elachi, who has five children under 15, says the law would change the norms around social media usage. Currently many parents feel they have no choice but to let their children use it so they don’t feel left out.

“When you think your child might be isolated, that’s what puts parents under a lot of pressure,” says Elachi, co-founder of the Heads Up Alliance, a network trying to delay children’s use of social media and smartphones. “[But] if everybody misses out, no one misses out.”