In a significant move, the Australian government led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has passed a law setting the minimum age for social media access at 16 years. This legislation, which received bipartisan support in Parliament, came after extensive discussions with young people, parents, experts in child development, and community organizations.

Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland explained that the decision was informed by consultations aimed at balancing the need to minimize harm to adolescents during crucial developmental stages. The law mandates social media platforms to adopt reasonable measures to prevent users under 16 from registering accounts, with severe penalties of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars for companies that fail to comply consistently.

Importantly, the law allows for user verification without requiring government identification, addressing privacy concerns raised by the opposition. While platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, and X are expected to be under the law's purview, it is yet unclear if others, like YouTube and messaging apps such as WhatsApp, will be affected.

Prime Minister Albanese emphasized the need to protect young Australians from the potential negative impacts of social media. He highlighted the legislation as a means to ensure that social media platforms are held accountable for safeguarding their users, with penalties in place for breaches of the law. The government also aims to maintain access to educational and health-related online services for younger Australians.