New Delhi: Within a month of Australia banning social media accounts for persons under 16 years of age, tech firms have started pushing back against the government’s demand, while virtual private network or VPN downloads have increased by 170 per cent.
The Australian ban is the first of its kind in the world, citing mental health harms such as reduced sleep and increased stress among teenagers.
The major platforms affected by the ban are TikTok, X, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Kick, Twitch, Snapchat, and Threads.
To enforce the ban, the Australian government took several measures including fining social media companies for repeated breaches, ensuring the usage of age assurance technologies, government IDs, and face or voice recognition by tech firms.
Despite these measures, the government is struggling to enforce the ban fully. In 2025, the Australian government conducted an age assurance technology trial by an independent provider and found that facial assessment technology is least reliable for teenagers.
Australia also passed the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024, making tech platforms responsible for enforcing age limits with potential fines.
The fines are not imposed on parents and teens, but on the providers. The fine is up to 49.5 million Australian dollars.
In January, the BBC reported that some teenagers are embracing new habits such as running, while others are trying to circumvent the law.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that the ban would usher in a new generation of sports-loving, book reading. “Start a new sport, learn a new instrument, or read that book that has been sitting there on your shelf for some time. And importantly, spend quality time with your friends and your family. Face to face.”, PM Albanese said, according to the Independent.
The truth, however, is that the ban has had little impact as Australians under 16 years of age continue to have active social media accounts using fake birthdays and IDs.
How tech companies reacted
Social media companies were shocked when the ban was announced, but the ban forced them to close the teenagers’ accounts.
Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads, in a blog reported that it had blocked more than 5 lakh under 16 accounts. The Silicon Valley giant urged the government to rethink the ban, citing that teens will look to circumvent the law.
Meta highlighted that age verification and parental approval need to extend to the app store level, as teens use over 40 apps a week and many of these don’t have age verification tools.
“This is the only way to guarantee consistent, industry-wide protections for young people, no matter which apps they use, and to avoid the whack-a-mole effect of catching up with new apps that teens will migrate to in order to circumvent the social media ban law,” a statement by Meta read.
Another social media platform, Reddit, filed a petition against the ban in the High Court of Australia, the country’s apex court of law, arguing that the law is invalid on the basis of the implied freedom of political communication.
Apart from social media giants, the Australian Human Rights Commission also criticised the ban.
“Such a social media ban is likely to also have negative human rights impacts on children and young people. Where rights are limited to protect children from online harms, any limitations must be lawful, necessary and proportionate,” a statement by the Commission read.
Also Read: Andhra Pradesh considering Australia-like social media ban for kids
Are other countries following in Australia’s footsteps?
Across the world, several countries are considering similar plans to introduce a minimum age limit for social media users.
Denmark has announced plans to ban social media for users under 15 years of age, an idea that Norway is also considering.
The United Kingdom’s House of Lords earlier this week voted to back a ban on social media for under-16s.
A French parliamentary enquiry also recommended banning under-15s from social media.
In India, too, similar measures are being considered. Andhra Pradesh’s Information Technology and Electronics and Communication Minister Nara Lokesh advocated for an Australia-like ban for users under 16 years of age.
Andhra is the first state in India where such a proposal has been mooted.
However, the demand and control on social media is not new in India.
In December 2025, the Madras High Court urged the Modi government to see possibilities in passing legislation similar to the government’s prohibition on the use of social media by those under the age of 16.
NGOs such as Save Culture Save Bharat Foundation have, for some time now, demanded legal action against social media platforms for disseminating sexually explicit content.
“Will India be culturally bankrupt by 2047, even as it aspires to superpower status. Healthy and clean entertainment is important and should be promoted,” Uday Mahurkar, former Central Information Commissioner (CIC) and founder of Save Culture Save Bharat Foundation told ThePrint.
(Edited by Insha Jalil Waziri)