‘Has this really been thought through?’: Australia proposes social media ban on under 16s.

Australia's Labour Government recently introduced a bill to its parliament that would ban people aged under 16 from using social media.

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland, who presented the bill, said it aims to help parents keep their children safe online.

TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram are among the social media platforms that have been singled out by the government and are facing fines of up to $50,000 AUD for systematic failures to prevent young children from holding accounts.

Rowland said to parliament: "This bill seeks to set a new normative value in society that accessing social media is not the defining feature of growing up in Australia.

"There is wide acknowledgement that something must be done in the immediate term to help prevent young teens and children from being exposed to streams of unfiltered content and infinite."

With broad political support, it appears likely the bill will pass. If so, the platforms would have one year to implement the age restriction.

For brands and marketers based in Australia, this could have significant implications on their advertising campaigns potentially making social media a less effective channel and younger audiences more difficult to reach.

It also could begin a trend should other Western governments look to mirror the legislation in future PMW spoke to several industry experts who offered their reaction to the news.

'A wake-up call for the industry'

Quirine ter Poorten, Lead Content Strategist for Modern Citizens, said:

"We believe the shift in social media regulation could be a wake-up call for the industry. Especially it more countries follow. The concerns aren't new at all, but this proposal to ban social media use for those under 16 marks a shift in the general vision on and approach to online safety.

"This initiative to protect young users from potential harm like cyberbullying and data exploitation, clearly signals a growing need to have more control over the unchecked power of tech platforms. This is not isolated though, as more governments increasingly scrutinise tech giants in other areas as well; the landscape of social media is evolving.

"The industry must now, more than ever, balance innovation with responsibility, or risk losing public trust. For us, working in the social content industry, we think this could be seen as more than just a regulatory change: it's also a warning Brands, creators, and influencers should reconsider how they engage with underage audiences.

"Platforms will probably face more pressure to implement stricter age verification tools and more transparent data practices. Social media companies may need to adapt to an even more privacy-conscious consumer base, where parents ot younger users demand safer digital spaces."

Read the article in it's entirety in Performance Marketing World

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