Australia Plans Social Media Ban for Under-16s

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X is one of the social media sites that will soon be X-cluded for a certain age group.

Australia is preparing to implement a world-first restriction barring children under 16 from holding social media accounts.

Beginning December 10, platforms will be required to take what the government calls “reasonable steps” to prevent under-16s from creating accounts and to remove or deactivate accounts already belonging to minors.

Officials argue the ban is necessary to limit the “pressures and risks” children face online, including extended screen time and exposure to harmful content. The policy follows a government-commissioned study showing that 96% of children aged 10–15 use social media and that seven in 10 have encountered disturbing ...