Social Media Under 16 Years Old?
Australia Says No
Since the 10 December 2025, changes to the Online Safety Act 2021 have required many social media platforms to prevent Australian users under the age of 16 years old from holding accounts. These changes have impacted users, parents, schools and businesses, and created new compliance and legal risks that the Canberra community should be aware of.
The purpose of Part 4A – Social Media Minimum Age of the Online Safety Act 2021 was to reduce the risk of harm to the youth of our society and to encourage the development of appropriate guidelines to protect children from material and information that negatively impacts their well-being. After some months of operation, it is unclear if that has been achieved.
Major social media platforms are required to take “reasonable steps” to prevent users under 16 years old from holding accounts, with significant penalties in place for non-compliance. Accordingly, social media platforms must implement age-gating, verification and account-removal processes so that Australians under 16 years of age cannot create or retain accounts.
A Privacy guidance on Part4A (Social Media Minimum Age) of the Online Safety Act 2021 is available on the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner website.
