The act is the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024

This article was written for Western Sydney Publishing and published in September 2025. Starting this December 2025, social media in Australia is undergoing a significant change aimed at protecting our kids online. As a parent, you should be aware of this, especially if you have children under 16 who already have access to social media.  A new act is coming into effect, so social media platforms will begin to lock out users under 16.

The act is the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024. Its purpose is to restrict platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook, and others from allowing children under 16 years of age access. They will now need to verify that account holders are at least 16 years old before they can create or maintain an account.

This act is in response to growing concerns from parents, educators, and health experts about the effects of social media on young people’s mental health, privacy, and safety. A national survey revealed that 90% of adults support age checks. Social media platforms must take “reasonable steps” to prevent them from signing up or continuing to use their account.

Importantly, parents and children will not face penalties for underage access; responsibility lies solely with the platforms. Even existing accounts will be age-verified and may have their accounts suspended or deleted.

The law allows platforms some flexibility in implementing age verification, but they must demonstrate adequate compliance with the requirements. The eSafety Commissioner will oversee the rollout and has the authority to adjust the rules as needed.

If you’re a parent:

• Discuss the upcoming changes with your kids. Let them know they will lose access to social media and that you have no control over this
• Stay informed about which platforms are affected.
• Keep an eye out for new age checks appearing in the apps your kids use, such as ID uploads or facial recognition, which may soon become part of the sign-up process.

There will undoubtedly be some challenging conversations. Children will be upset, especially if they’ve been using these platforms for years. Parents might feel tempted to bend the rules or represent their child’s age to maintain peace. However, this is a valuable opportunity to discuss online safety, digital boundaries, and the importance of these changes.

This new law represents a significant step toward making the online world a safer place for children. It’s not going to fix everything overnight, but it sends a strong message: keeping children safe online is something Australia takes seriously