From December 2025, Australia will introduce a new minimum age of 16 for using most social media platforms. This change is part of the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024. Its goal is to reduce online harm to young people by holding social media platforms more accountable for who uses their services.
Whether your child is already online or was hoping to join soon, this change will likely affect their digital life. At Cyber Safety Project, our role is to help families and schools prepare. We have practical advice and tools to help communities manage change with confidence, empathy and clarity.
What Is the New Social Media Age Limit?
The new law will make it mandatory for platforms to take steps that prevent children under 16 from signing up or maintaining accounts. This applies to popular platforms such as:
- Snapchat
- TikTok
- X (formerly Twitter)
- YouTube / YouTube Shorts
Some platforms are NOT included in this law. These exemptions include:
- Messenger Kids
- Google Classroom
- Gaming platforms
The responsibility for enforcement lies with the platforms, not with children or parents. If a platform fails to take reasonable steps to verify age and remove underage accounts, they could face fines of up to AUD $49.5 million or 5 percent of global turnover, whichever is greater.
How Will the Social Media Ban Be Enforced?
The responsibility to follow the new law will rest with social media platforms, not families. Platforms will be required to take “reasonable steps” to prevent users under 16 from creating or keeping accounts.
At this stage, the exact methods for age verification have not been confirmed. However, the Australian Government is exploring a range of tools, including:
- AI-powered facial age estimation
- Document-based verification (like ID uploads)
- Third-party age assurance services
Trials are currently underway to evaluate what works best, with findings expected in late 2025.
While enforcement details are still being finalised, the intention is clear: platforms will be held responsible for making sure underage users cannot access restricted apps.
Why This Matters for Parents
This social media ban will affect how young people interact online. If your child already has a social media account, or has been looking forward to signing up, you may experience pushback, confusion or worry.
Now is the ideal time to reset expectations, review safety habits and build trust. We encourage parents to use this moment as a conversation starter, rather than a confrontation.
5 Things Parents Can Do Right Now
- Talk early about what’s changing
Ask your child, “Have you heard about the new age limit for social media?” Give them time to share how they feel and what they’re worried about. - Review current accounts together
Sit down and look through their existing apps or profiles. Talk about what might need to change and how they’d like to handle it. - Make a plan for staying connected
Help your child choose safe, age-appropriate ways to stay in touch with friends, like messaging apps or family-approved chat options. - Discuss the risks of getting around the rules
Explain why using someone else’s ID or downloading VPNs might seem like an easy fix, but can lead to bigger problems. Keep the tone supportive. - Keep teaching safety skills
Even if your child is stepping away from certain platforms, continue to build their skills for privacy, kindness, and help-seeking in all online spaces.
Will Kids Try to Bypass the Rules?
Some children may look for ways to avoid the social media ban stay online even after the rules take effect. While we don’t yet know how effective new age verification systems will be, here are some possible workarounds:
- Using a parent or older sibling’s ID to register for an account
- Accessing apps through a VPN to avoid age checks
- Creating hidden or secondary accounts on lesser-known platforms
These behaviours highlight why education is still important. Rules can limit access, but young people still need digital skills and safe habits, no matter what platforms they use.
Why We Still Need to Teach Social Media Safety
Even with new social media ban and age restrictions, many apps, games and chat platforms remain accessible. Some children will continue using social media quietly. Others will move to different online spaces. That’s why we must continue to teach children:
- How to recognise and respond to unsafe content or messages
- What respectful communication looks like online
- How to protect their personal information
- When and how to ask for help
Building strong online habits now will prepare young people for safe and positive use when they are old enough to rejoin platforms.
Want to Know More?
For more detailed information, you can visit the official sources:
Stay Up-To-Date
At Cyber Safety Project, we support schools, families and communities with tools to navigate digital changes with confidence. This age limit shift is a chance to reset, reconnect and rebuild stronger digital habits for the future.
We’ll continue sharing updated advice, tools, and resources for schools and parents in the lead-up to December 2025 so be sure to subscribe to the Cyber Safety Project monthly newsletter and follow @cybersafetyproject for updates and practical support.
By Trent Ray
Last Update 19th August 2025
