Australia bans under-16s from social media in world-first crackdown

A teenager holds a mobile phone displaying a message from social media platform Instagram after the account was locked for age verification in Sydney on December 9, 2025. [AFP]

Australia banned young teenagers from social media on Wednesday, launching a world-first crackdown designed to unglue children from addictive scrolling on the likes of Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

A raft of the world's most popular apps and websites face US$33 million fines if they fail to purge Australia-based users younger than 16.