The government is watching how children behave now that the world-first rule is in effect.
The eyes of the world will be on Australia today after we became the first nation to roll out age restrictions for social media.
From midnight, all Australians under 16 years of age have lost access to social media - so now what?
Long story short, those youngsters are no longer able to hold accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Snapchat, TikTok, Reddit, X, YouTube, Twitch and Kick.
Communications Minister Anika Wells expects children around the country to try to evade the restrictions.
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The eSafety Commission will monitor which platforms children may move to and issue any penalties for non-compliance.
Here is a breakdown of everything you need to know now that the ban is in effect.
What are the penalties for children under 16?
The federal government acknowledges that the ban will not be "100 per cent effective" in preventing children under 16 from accessing restricted social media platforms and that they will find their ways around it.
"Some of that is going to happen, but that's what teenagers do," eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said.
The onus, however, lies on social media platforms and not children who bypass the rules.
There is no penalty for children under 16 who access restricted social media platforms, or their parents or guardians.
The eSafety Commission said the ban is about "protecting young people, not punishing or isolating them".
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What are the penalties for social media platforms?
Platforms face hefty penalties if they do not take "reasonable steps" to prevent children under 16 from having accounts.
The eSafety Commission defines reasonable steps as:
- Enforcing the age restriction in a just and appropriate way, including finding and removing existing accounts
- Preventing new accounts and workarounds
- Having processes to correct errors if someone is mistakenly missed or included in the restriction
If a platform fails to do so, a court can order civil penalties, including fines of up to $49.5 million.
How are these penalties enforced?
The eSafety Commission will monitor and enforce any penalties for non-compliance in accordance with the law.
It may also pursue court action.
Inman Grant said she will start gathering information and issuing compliance notices now that her powers have kicked in.
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What happens to my social media account?
Under-16s will see their social media accounts either be deactivated or deleted, depending on the platform.
Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, and X indicated they are deactivating accounts until the user is 16.
Snapchat said it will remove accounts.
All remaining platforms have not specified how exactly the ban will be enforced
Australians over 16 will not be affected.
Anyone making a new account after today may have to verify their age through facial verification or a government-issued ID.
However, platforms must offer options so that users are not forced to share their ID if they do not wish to.
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What platforms are banned?
Social media platforms must meet four conditions to be age-restricted under the ban:
- Its sole or significant purpose is to enable online social interaction between two or more users
- It allows users to link or interact with other users
- It allows users to post material
- Material is accessible or delivered to users in Australia
Currently, the platforms banned are:
- Threads
- Snapchat
- TikTok
- X
- YouTube
- Threads
- Kick
- Twitch
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What platforms are not banned?
The platforms that are exempt are:
- Discord
- GitHub
- Google Classroom
- LEGO Play
- Messenger
- Roblox
- Steam and Steam Chat
- YouTube Kids
But Wells has warned that Yope, Lemon8 and even LinkedIn may be added to the ban.
The eSafety Commission will assess which platforms children move to after today and will decide whether to expand the scope of the ban.
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