Social Media Ban 10/12
From 10 December 2025, many social media platforms won’t be allowed to let Australians under 16 create or keep accounts.
The aim of the new law is to protect young people from design features that encourage you to spend too much time on screens and show you content that can be harmful to your health and wellbeing.
We know that lots of young people affected by these new restrictions have mixed feelings about it, or even disagree with the decision. This is a big change and whatever the young person is feeling is valid.
There’s a lot of confusing chat around, so eSafety is keeping up to date with the latest official information:
On this page:
- Check out our quick facts
- Find the latest info in FAQs
- Use our tools to get ready for the change
- Video
- Get health and wellbeing advice
- Read about your privacy and digital rights
- The age restrictions will likely apply to Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X and YouTube, as well as other platforms. See the latest list.
- You will still be able to see publicly available social media content that doesn’t require logging into an account.
- You can use a range of messaging apps and platforms that are not age-restricted to connect with friends.
- Under-16s won't get into trouble if they're still on an age-restricted platform after 10 December, but the platforms could face fines of up to $49.5 million.
- No matter how old you are, if something goes wrong while you're on social media or anywhere else online, help is available - you don't have to deal with it on your own. Check our I need help page for advice about cyberbullying, being asked for nudes and other issues.
Looking for more resources to navigate the upcoming social media ban?