Australia’s New Social Media Regulations Put Childhood First

Why raising the minimum age to 16 is a breakthrough for families and child safety

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Australia has just taken one of the most important steps yet in the global effort to protect children online. Beginning today, children must be at least 16 years old to create a social media account and, in doing so, enter into a contract that hands over their data and exposes them to products designed to maximize engagement. This reform finally corrects two major mistakes made in the early days of the internet: the United States (and then much of the world) set the age of “internet adulthood” to 13, and companies were given no responsibility to verify age at all. As long as a child could type “13,” companies could treat them like adults.

Australia is the first country to correct those mistakes. Under the new policy, children under age 16 can still watch videos, read posts, and look things up online. What changes is that some of the largest companies on earth can no longer form business relationships with young children or use their personal data to keep them hooked on feeds, likes, and alerts. The policy will reduce the social pressure on kids, give parents back their authority, and help restore a healthier childhood. It may feel like a challenge at first, but it will quickly become the new normal. Other countries are already watching. Some have already taken action (including countries as diverse as Malaysia, Canada, Brazil, and Norway).

There will be hiccups; but that is normal and an expected part of any major policy change.

Parents want this. They know social media can harm their children, yet many feel trapped because everyone else’s kids are already online. Australia is breaking that trap by giving families a healthier default. The goal is not perfect enforcement. Some kids will still find workarounds. The goal is to shift the environment so children are not pressured into digital spaces they don’t want, simply to avoid being left out.

Today we are reposting two essential After Babel essays that explain what Australia has done, what it has not done (addressing common concerns and misconceptions), why they are doing it, and why the world should pay attention.

1. “Australia’s Social Media Age Limit Policy Delays Account Creation, Not Access to Content” by Ravi Iyer and Jon Haidt

2. “Why Australia is Setting a Minimum Age of 16 for Creating a Social Media Account” by Andrew Leigh

Australia is leading. It’s protecting childhood. We hope others will join.

Bravo Australia.

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1. Australia’s Social Media Age Limit Policy Delays Account Creation, Not Access to Content

By Ravi Iyer and Jon Haidt

“Australia is giving a gift to its parents and teens, and the benefits will soon spread globally. Their new Age Limit Policy for Account Creation is the most monumental step yet taken in the international movement to protect kids from the industrial scale harms caused by social media companies. It raises the age — from 13 to 16 — at which children can sign a contract with these companies (the terms of service agreement), giving away their data and exposing themselves to manipulative design. In Australia, beginning this December, you’ll have to be at least 16-years-old to open or maintain a social media account.

This policy has the support of parents in Australia and around the world, and many other countries are already considering following Australia’s lead. It’s popular because most parents don’t want their children using social media, yet many feel that they have no choice: if they hold the line and keep their kids off while everyone else’s kids are on, then their kids will be isolated.

At present, the companies bear no responsibility for age verification, so no matter how hard parents try, if a 10-year-old child can get to a web browser, she can set up as many accounts as she wants simply by saying she is 13. Setting a standard minimum age, as we do for driving, smoking, and gambling, changes the dynamic, removes the social pressure on kids, and puts the responsibility for enforcement where it belongs: on the companies that are profiting by selling children’s attention. It also frees parents from the struggle over social media that has affected so many families.

Yet the policy is often misunderstood and has been widely mischaracterized. We want to correct the record. The policy does not cut young people off from accessing content online. Kids below the age minimum will still have the ability to search for and watch videos, read posts, and access information.

What’s new is that some of the most powerful companies in the world are, for the first time, forbidden from entering into a business relationship with children, a relationship that internal documents show is designed to foster addiction by using children’s personal data to keep them ‘engaged.’”

2. Why Australia is Setting a Minimum Age of 16 for Creating a Social Media Account

By Andrew Leigh

“Australia’s legislation is a world first. So it’s no surprise that questions have been raised about the effectiveness of age assurance technologies. This will indeed be a challenge, but it is one for which the industry already has the tools. There are dozens of companies currently offering a great variety of age assurance methods. If Australia and other countries require the platforms to enforce minimum ages, the industry will improve the current set of choices rapidly.

Some critics of Australia’s approach have suggested that if it can’t be foolproof, we shouldn’t do it. This is wrong for two reasons.

First, law reform is replete with examples in which some people seek to circumvent limits. Underage teens drink alcohol. Drivers run red lights. Taxpayers overclaim deductions. Employers underpay workers. Pedestrians jaywalk. People litter. The fact that a law will be tested is not in itself a reason against legislating.

Second, while some children may still find ways to bypass the restrictions, an age minimum for social media has value in establishing a strong societal standard. The age minimum will serve as an important reference point, empowering parents to have meaningful conversations with their children about appropriate online behaviour and setting clear boundaries.

Australia’s social media age minimum will reduce the online harms that are affecting young people. Like phone-free schools, keeping social media out of the lives of under-sixteens will help reduce cyberbullying and online exploitation, and it will improve mental wellbeing. It will encourage more young Australians to step out of the cycle of social media addiction and experience the many joys and opportunities of the physical world and face-to-face communication. And it will stop social media companies from continuing to use predatory business practices to take advantage of vulnerable young people. Australians pride ourselves on our beaches and parks, our love of playing sports and socializing with friends. Less doom-scrolling means more chances to spend our precious hours relishing the remarkable world around us.”