"Today the Government has introduced world-leading legislation to enforce a minimum age of 16 years for social media. The Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024 will deliver greater protections for young Australians during critical stages of their development," the Australian prime minister's office said in a statement.
Social media platforms themselves will be responsible for ensuring that children under 16 cannot create an account, with fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars ($32.2 million) for systemic breaches, the statement said.
The "age-restricted social media platforms" will include Snapchat, TikTok, X and Instagram (owned by Meta*), among others. At the same time, access to messaging and online games will be allowed, as well as to health and education services, including Headspace, Kids Helpline, Google Classroom and YouTube.
*banned in Russia for extremism