Australia’s Under-16 Social Media Ban allows a margin of error in age verification

Australia is set to enforce its ban on social media use by those under 16  from December 10. However, the final rules released on 15 September 2025 revealed that platforms will not be required to meet a fixed accuracy standard.  

Annika Wells, the communication minister of Australia, along with Julie Grant, the eSafety commissioner, announced the long-awaited measures that tech giants will be mandated to comply with while operating in Australia. The eSafety Commissioner said platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube, and X must take “reasonable steps” to prevent under-16s from accessing their services. 

“With the support of the regulatory guidance being published today, there is no excuse for non-compliance.“ Miss Wells told reporters in Sydney. As the rules dictate, companies will be expected to remove existing accounts held by children and create an appeal procedure for those who are wrongly deactivated.

Social media platforms are mandated to use “layered” age-assurance systems that use automated technologies and behavioural analysis, but they are not obliged to check every user’s age or meet a fixed threshold of accuracy. Relying only on government identification will not be accepted as a standalone measure.

The communication minister stressed on effective safeguards over strict accuracy. She said, “We are not anticipating perfection here; these are world-leading laws, but we are requiring meaningful change through reasonable steps that will seek cultural change and a chilling effect that will keep kids safe.“

Failure to comply with these regulations could result in fines of up to A$49.5 million ($32 million).  As there is no statistical threshold for accuracy, the eSafety Commissioner will determine whether a company has taken adequate steps to comply, rather than assessing against a fixed performance benchmark.

Communications Minister Anika Wells said the government did not expect the ban to be flawless but wanted “meaningful change”  by social media companies in managing underage users. “We are not looking for perfection on day one, but we are looking for cultural change,” she told reporters.

The government rejected industry calls for a grace period beyond December, noting that companies have had nearly a year to prepare since the law was passed in 2024. Upon enforcement, platforms are expected to prioritise the removal of existing accounts belonging to under-16s. More complex safeguards to prevent new sign-ups will be phased in with the passage of time.

The act seeks to balance child safety with privacy risks. Businesses are not required to collect or store age data for all users, and there is no mandate for blanket verification of every account. Officials acknowledged that some minors are likely to slip through the system, and some adult users may also be wrongly flagged.

Despite these limitations, regulators say the layered approach used for age verification  is designed to avoid over-reliance on one method and improve effectiveness over time. Additionally, platforms are also supposed to provide transparent appeal procedures for users affected by errors.

The ban makes Australia one of the first countries to impose a minimum-age restriction on social media access. Similar debates are underway in the United States, Britain, and the European Union, but most jurisdictions have stopped short of a legal ban.