According to Mashable, Australia’s Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act comes into force this Wednesday, December 10, banning social media accounts for anyone under 16. Platforms like Meta (Facebook, Instagram, Threads), TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube have already begun disabling or locking accounts to comply, with fines for non-compliance reaching up to AU$49.5 million (US$33 million). Meta is removing access but advocating for age verification at the app store level, while TikTok is deactivating accounts for users 13-15. Snapchat is locking accounts for three years, and YouTube, after losing an exemption, will automatically sign out under-16 users. A poll found almost a third of parents would help their child circumvent the YouTube ban, and platforms argue the law removes existing parental controls.
Platform Pushback and Parental Workarounds
Here’s the thing: almost nobody involved seems to think this is the best solution. The platforms are complying, but they’re making their objections incredibly public. Meta’s November blog post basically says, “We’ll do this, but it’s a bad idea,” arguing that requiring government IDs is risky. Snapchat’s statement is even more blunt, warning that disconnecting teens might just push them to “less safe, less private messaging apps.” And Google‘s complaint about YouTube is a masterclass in bureaucratic shade, calling it “the unfortunate consequences of a rushed legislative process.”
But the real kicker? Parents are reportedly already in on the act. According to a Crikey report, some are handing over their own credentials. And a DemosAU poll found nearly 30% would help their kid get around the YouTube restrictions. So the law targets platforms, not families, creating this weird scenario where the enforcement burden is entirely on companies facing a skeptical user base at home. Talk about an uphill battle.
The Age Verification Mess
This is where it gets technically messy. Every platform has a slightly different method, and none are perfect. Meta and TikTok are using Yoti for facial age estimation or government ID checks. Snapchat and Twitch use a competitor, k-ID. Reddit is rolling out global checks for under-18s. But as Meta pointed out, what’s the alternative? Forcing a government ID on everyone creates a huge privacy honeypot. And facial estimation is… controversial.
So what’s the industry’s preferred fix? They keep pointing to the device or app store level. Think about it: one verification when a parent sets up a kid’s phone, then the OS manages age-appropriate access. It’s a coherent argument. But it also requires coordination between Apple, Google, Microsoft, and a ton of other players—something the Australian government apparently didn’t want to wait for. The result is this patchwork of third-party verifiers that teens will inevitably try to beat.
What Users Actually Lose
It’s not just a login screen. The impacts vary wildly by platform, and that reveals how differently these services are built. For YouTube and Twitch, you can still watch videos and streams without an account; you just lose the ability to comment, subscribe, or have a channel. It’s a neutered experience, but not a blackout. Snapchat’s “lock” is unique—a three-year pause where you can still download your data but your Streaks die. That’s a specific, painful social cost for teens.
Meta and TikTok are going for a cleaner cut: deactivation. Download your stuff, and we’ll see you when you’re 16. But even here, Messenger is exempt, which feels like a loophole big enough to drive a truck through. The eSafety Commissioner talks about protecting kids from “endless scroll,” but if the primary messaging function remains, is the core harm really addressed?
A Global Test Case
Australia is essentially running a massive, involuntary experiment. Other governments are watching. Will this actually improve teen well-being? Or will it just fracture their online social lives into harder-to-monitor spaces? The platforms are treating this as a compliance headache, parents are treating it as a nuisance, and teens will treat it as a challenge to overcome.
And let’s not forget the legal challenges. Reddit is reportedly gearing up for a court fight. If the ban creates friction for adults (like Reddit’s new global age checks) or is seen as overly broad, the courts might have something to say. For now, Australia is the first major Western nation to draw this line in the sand. Whether it holds, or what it actually accomplishes, is the billion-dollar question. Actually, it’s the AU$49.5 million question. But who’s counting?
