Australia is gearing up to enforce a significant policy shift by banning social media access for individuals under the age of 16. This change is set to take effect on December 10, potentially leading to an expanded list of age-restricted platforms.

Currently, some social media platforms are exempt from this ban. However, they may soon find themselves included if the situation evolves as anticipated by authorities.

Minister for Communications Anika Wells, along with eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, foresees a likely scenario where younger users, after being barred from platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok, will seek alternatives.

What sites and apps are included in Australia’s social media ban?

For a platform to fall under the age-restriction mandate, it must meet four specific criteria outlined by the new regulations.

As it stands, several platforms have already been designated as age-restricted. Consequently, individuals under 16 will lose access to their existing accounts and be prohibited from creating new ones starting December 10.

Among the platforms that will be impacted by this age restriction are:

Additional platforms may become age-restricted after the ban comes into effect and under-16s migrate to other sites and services.

“We watched what American kids did when TikTok went blank,” Inman Grant said.

“They went to Rednote, they went to Lemon8, which is an Instagram clone.

“We expected there will be some migration, and some of these will become age restricted social media platforms.”