Australia Plans Social Media Ban for Under-16s

Australia to ban social media access for under-16s. The Australian government has announced plans to legislate a ban on social media access for individuals under the age of 16, following support from the National Cabinet. This initiative is part of a broader effort to combat online harms, which includes a $6.5 million age assurance trial and new penalties for non-consensual deepfakes. The legislation will be introduced in the next Parliament and is set to take effect in a year, with oversight managed by the eSafety Commissioner. Notably, the bill places responsibility on social media platforms to implement age verification measures, rather than on parents.