From December 10, young people aged 15 and under will no longer be allowed to hold accounts on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, X and Facebook.
The rule doesn’t penalise teens or their families; instead, the pressure is placed on the companies themselves.
If platforms fail to block underage users, they could face fines of up to $50 million.
Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads, announced it would begin closing teen accounts from December 4, though it has not yet revealed exactly how.
TikTok said it planned to use a multi-layered age-verification system.
Anyone who is mistakenly removed will be able to provide government ID or a video selfie to prove their age.
Young people affected will have a few choices over the next few days: download their photos and messages and freeze their profile until they turn 16, or delete their account.
The ban has sparked debate nationwide, and the Goulburn Valley is no exception.
We asked locals to share their thoughts, and the comments revealed a clear divide.
From our Facebook page:
“Kids will find a way around it. They’ve grown up in a digital world and know more than most adults. I’d rather see proper parental controls than an outright ban.” — Stephanie Kate
“Not a fan. It’s impossible to enforce for 15-year-olds who’ve been on social media for years already.” — Dani Sleeth
“These kids know nothing but technology. It’s not going anywhere — so why ban them from it? And if you think they won’t find a workaround, you’re fooling yourself.” — Kat Moananu
“The mental-health fallout is going to be huge. Some parents have allowed unlimited access — now they’re cutting them off cold turkey.” — Angie Ciavarella
“Government shouldn’t be dictating online access. My kids grew up with social media and turned out fine. Teens will use VPNs anyway. This fixes nothing.” — Shannon Smith
In our own survey, 80 per cent of respondents opposed the ban.
Many said they were worried about teens losing key social connections or migrating to unsafe, unregulated websites.
And it seems that shift is already beginning.
New apps including Lemon8, Yope and Red Note have surged up the App Store charts, offering near-identical features to Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok.
More than half of surveyed parents with a child under-16 said the ban wouldn’t make their kids any safer, and several expressed frustration that decisions about their children’s digital education had been taken out of their hands.
As December 10 approaches, households, schools, tech companies and teens are preparing for a major change.
Whether it leads to safer online experiences or simply sends young people underground online remains to be seen, and the nation is watching with bated breath.
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