December 9, 2025
CNET: Australia Bans Social Media for Kids Under 16. Which Sites Are Blocked?
The new Australian law restricts some social media platforms, but other services and AI chatbots are exempt.
While governments around the world continue to tackle the thorny issue of age verification for certain websites and platforms, Australia is taking a blunter approach. Starting today, the entire country will ban social media sites for all children younger than 16 years old...
Some experts are praising Australia's ban.
Donna Rice Hughes, president and CEO of Enough is Enough, a nonprofit with a mission to "make the Internet safer for children and families," praised Australia for "taking a proactive stick approach to protect children from social media harms."
Enough is Enough, which launched in 1992, has documented the myriad pitfalls of social media for children, including overuse, sexting, online exploitation, bullying, depression and more. The organization has published several internet safety guides and safety settings for social media apps.