Millions of Australian children just lost access to social media. What’s happening and will it work?

CNN

By Hilary Whiteman, CNN

Brisbane, Australia (CNN) — Children across Australia will wake up on Wednesday with no access to their social media accounts under a world-first ban designed to shelter those under 16 from addictive algorithms, online predators, and digital bullies.

No other nation has taken such sweeping measures, and the rollout of the tough new law is being closely watched by legislators around the globe.

Most of the 10 banned platforms – Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Snapchat, YouTube, TikTok, Kick, Reddit, Twitch and X – say they’ll comply with the ban, using age verification technology to identify under-16s and suspend their accounts, but they don’t believe it’ll make children safer.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is already touting the ban as a success because families are talking about social media use. Some children – and their parents – are expected to flout the ban, but there are no consequences for either.

“We’ve said very clearly that this won’t be perfect… but it’s the right thing to do for society to express its views, its judgment, about what is appropriate,” Albanese told the public broadcaster ABC on Sunday.

Under the law, platforms need to show they’ve taken “reasonable steps” to deactivate accounts used by under-16s, and to prevent new accounts being opened, to avoid fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars ($32 million).

What the platforms are doing

Snapchat users will have their accounts suspended for three years or until they turn 16.

YouTube account holders will be automatically signed out on December 10. Their channels will no longer be visible; however, their data will be saved so they can reactivate their accounts when they turn 16. Children will still be able to watch YouTube without logging in.

TikTok says all accounts used by under-16s will be deactivated on December 10. It says it doesn’t matter which email is used or whose name is on the account – its age verification technology will determine who’s using it. Content previously posted by young users will no longer be viewable. The platform’s also encouraging parents who believe their children may have lied about their age when opening accounts to report them.

Twitch says no under-16s in Australia will be allowed to create new accounts on the live streaming site popular with gamers from December 10, but current accounts held by under-16s will not be deactivated until January 9. The company did not respond to a request to explain the delay.

Meta started removing accounts belonging to teens under 16 on Instagram, Facebook and Threads on December 4. Users were invited to download their content, and it’ll be there should they want to reactivate their account when they turn 16.

Reddit said it would suspend the accounts of users under 16, and prevent any new ones being opened.

X has not replied to queries about how it’ll comply with the ban but fiercely objects to the legislation as an infringement of free speech.

Kick, a live streaming service similar to Twitch, has not responded to a request for comment.

Which platforms aren’t included?

Along with the list of banned sites is a list of platforms that aren’t considered part of the ban – yet. They are Discord, GitHub, Google Classroom, LEGO Play, Messenger, Pinterest, Roblox, Steam and Steam Chat, WhatsApp and YouTube Kids.

The decision to omit Roblox was seen by many Australians as a puzzling choice, given recent reports alleging children have been targeted by adult predators inside its games.

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman-Grant has said that talks with Roblox began in June and it agreed to introduce new controls which are being rolled out this month in Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands, and elsewhere in January.

Users will need to verify their age to enable chat functions, and they’ll only be able to chat with someone of a similar age.

How are platforms identifying under-16 accounts?

Banned platforms already had a good idea who was using their service from the date of birth users entered when they opened an account, but the new law requires them to actively verify their ages.

That’s raised objections from some adult users who are concerned that they’ll be asked to verify their age. The Age Assurance Technology Trial carried out early this year convinced the government that age checks could be done without compromising privacy.

Platforms are checking ages via live video selfies, email addresses or official documents. According to Yoti, an age verification company whose clients include Meta, most users choose a video selfie which uses facial data points to estimate age.

How are kids responding?

Some are looking for alternative platforms that offer similar services that aren’t banned.

Yope, a photo-sharing platform, said it had attracted 100,000 new Australian users by word of mouth as the impending ban loomed. Lemon8, a TikTok-like platform also owned by ByteDance, has also been promoted among teens as a back-up.

Both platforms were put on notice by the eSafety Commissioner. Lemon8 says it’ll comply with Australia’s new laws, while Yope told CNN the ban doesn’t apply to it because it doesn’t allow messaging with strangers.

The eSafety commissioner says the list of banned sites is evolving, and new sites could be added as they gain popularity or offer new services.

The fluid nature of the list, and the incentive for other operators to cater to millions of teens looking for alternatives, has prompted criticism that the government has created a game of “whack-a-mole” that it will arguably never win.

Youth counsellors and support groups are worried that children who rely on social media for inclusion will end up in unregulated digital spaces, where there are even fewer safeguards, and are watching to see where they go.

What happens next?

Part of the motivation for the ban was to get children offline and more engaged with the real world, and that is something officials plan to measure.

“We’ll be looking at everything from are kids sleeping more, are they interacting more? Are they taking fewer antidepressants? Are they reading more books? Are they going outside doing sports?” eSafety Commissioner Inman-Grant told the Sydney Dialogue last week.

But she said they’ll also be monitoring the unintended consequences.

“Are they going to darker areas of the web, and what is the outcome?”

Six experts from Stanford University’s Social Media Lab will work with the eSafety Commissioner to gather the data, and the whole process will be reviewed by an independent Academic Advisory Group of 11 academics from the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.

Stanford University said its approach, methods and findings will be published for scrutiny by researchers, the public and policymakers worldwide.

“We are hopeful that the evidence generated can directly support and inform decision-making by other countries as they seek to promote the online safety of children in their jurisdictions,” the university said in a statement.

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