Australia’s social media ban reshapes teen online access

Snapchat announced that it blocked or deactivated 415,000 user accounts belonging to teenagers under the age of 16 in Australia over a two-month period following the entry into force of a law described as pioneering, which bans their access to social media, AFP reports.

“We continue to block accounts on a daily basis,” Snapchat said in a statement. The social network nevertheless highlighted the limits of monitoring measures, explaining that tools used to estimate users’ ages have a margin of error of two to three years.

“In practice, this means that some teenagers under 16 may bypass protection measures, potentially leaving them with fewer safety safeguards, while other young people over 16 unfairly lose access,” the statement said.

Snapchat suggested that Australian authorities require app stores to verify users’ ages before applications are downloaded, echoing a similar request made by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, CE Report quotes AGERPRES.

The company again criticized the Australian law, stating that Snapchat “is first and foremost a messaging service used by young people to stay connected with close friends and family.”

“We do not believe that cutting teenagers off from these relationships makes them safer, happier, or improves the situation in any way,” the company added.

Several platforms such as Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, and Meta-owned apps like Facebook and Instagram are required to enforce the ban in Australia, facing fines if they fail to take reasonable steps to comply with the law.

Last month, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said that early signs of compliance with the ban were encouraging.

“While some children may find clever ways to remain on social media, it is important to remember that, as with other safety-related laws, success should be measured in terms of risk reduction and shifts in societal attitudes,” she said.

Downloads of lesser-known platforms such as BlueSky and Lemon8 increased as the law’s implementation approached, but both social networks acknowledged that they too must comply with the legislation and are cooperating with Australia’s regulator, Inman Grant said.

The Australian law has drawn global attention. India has begun examining a similar proposal, and in France the National Assembly voted last week for a ban on social media for teenagers under 15, aiming for full enforcement by January 1, 2027.