ABC News Daily The reality of the teen social media ban
Dec 7, 2025
Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson, a technology reporter at the Australian Associated Press, dives into Australia’s groundbreaking social media ban for those under 16. She explores how platforms like Meta are already removing accounts and the challenges of verifying users' ages, which could involve selfies and bank data. Concerns about privacy, mental health, and potential migration to alternate apps also surface. Dudley raises questions about the implications for global laws and warns of the chaos that could ensue as the ban unfolds.
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World-First Under-16 Social Media Ban
- Australia is implementing a world-first ban on under-16s for 10 major social platforms starting December 10.
- Platforms and regulators face a large, complex task to identify and remove under-16 accounts accurately.
YouTube's Logged-Out Risk Dilemma
- Google/YouTube argue they are not a social media platform but logged-out access still exposes under-16s to unsuitable content.
- That highlights gaps in how the law treats different platform models and parental controls may change.
Choose Age Verification Carefully
- Platforms will use age-estimation tech and third parties so users shouldn't assume only government ID is required.
- Carefully choose how you verify age because some methods ask for selfies or bank checks and carry privacy risks.