Smarter safety strategies need to be paired with the mandated social media restrictions for under-16s to avoid pushing young users to riskier online spaces, an expert has cautioned.
The ban, which will be implemented on 10 December 2025, is in response to concerns about the safety of young Australians online. Under new legislation, passed in late 2024, social media platforms will begin preventing users under 16 from creating accounts on Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, X, Reddit and YouTube.
While it remains unclear how the restrictions will be implemented, the Federal Government says social media platforms must take “reasonable steps” to delete the accounts of minors before or on December 10 and stop them from creating new accounts through age verification software.
‘The challenge will be in the detail’
Ritesh Chugh is an Associate Professor in Information and Communication Technologies at CQUniversity’s School of Engineering and Technology.
He says while social media platforms will now have a duty of care in addition to parents and schools ensuring that the ban is upheld, the challenge will be in the detail – specifically, how to enforce it fairly, avoid unnecessary intrusion, and keep safe digital spaces open for young people.
“Poorly designed age verification could backfire. If people are asked to verify their age for every Google search, it’s like showing your passport every time you step into a library,” Associate Professor Chugh said.
“People will naturally look for ways around it, and determined young users will find them.”
He said international experience offers a cautionary tale, pointing out that UK laws have pushed more teens to use VPNs, bypassing checks and creating “data blind spots” that make harmful activity harder to detect.
Other complicating factors include the role of algorithms in pushing extreme or harmful content into mainstream feeds, Associate Professor Chugh noted.
“The internet’s ‘bad corners’ have moved into the middle of the street,” he said. “If we don’t change the incentives that drive platforms to push addictive, inappropriate content, parental controls will always be playing catch-up.”
His solution is a multi-layered approach – parents staying engaged, schools teaching digital literacy, platforms making safety the default, and governments setting and enforcing strong standards.
“We often talk about making the internet safer for kids, but we also need to make kids safer for the internet.”