Australia's under-16 social media ban has come into force, requiring platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, TikTok and YouTube to verify the age of users and restrict access.[1][3] The federal government introduced this legislation in November 2024.[1] The law requires platforms to take "reasonable steps" to prevent children under 16 from creating or maintaining accounts, but does not specify a specific method of age verification.[1] It is estimated that the ban will affect hundreds of thousands of minors, for example Instagram registers about 350,000 Australian users between the ages of 13 and 15.[1] Platforms must remove the accounts of underage users and face fines of up to A$49.5 million if they fail to comply.[1] Clinicians and researchers have expressed concern that the ban is a blunt tool to address a complex problem and may harm some young people who benefit from social media.[1]