Australia's social media giants have agreed to implement a ban on users under 16 years old, but experts are warning that the law is "problematic" and may not be effective in preventing minors from accessing online content.
The new regulations, which will come into effect on December 10, require platforms such as Meta, Snap, and TikTok to remove and deactivate over a million underage accounts. The companies have expressed concerns about the accuracy of age detection methods, citing issues with face scans that can incorrectly identify users between 16 and 17 years old.
"Age checks won't be perfect," says one expert, highlighting the limitations of current technology in detecting minors online. "There's no single solution that will work for all use cases, and even if we had, it wouldn't guarantee effectiveness across all deployments."
The law aims to reduce social media pressures on children and prevent them from accessing harmful content. However, critics argue that the ban may push kids to darker corners of the internet, where they are more likely to encounter online predators and experience harm.
YouTube spokesperson Rachel Lord has condemned the legislation as "extremely difficult to enforce" and failing to meet its promise of making kids safer online. The platform is among the loudest critics of the law, which it believes will have unintended consequences for users under 16.
Despite these concerns, social media companies are expected to comply with the regulations, citing fines of up to $32.5 million for non-compliance. As the law takes effect, platforms will need to find ways to detect underage users and prevent them from accessing online content.
The effectiveness of age checks will be spotty, at best, experts warn. While some companies may use sophisticated methods such as audio analysis or machine learning algorithms, others may rely on simpler approaches that can lead to false positives.
Ultimately, the law aims to reduce online harms by keeping harmful content out of reach. However, critics argue that the ban is a "simplistic" solution to complex issues and may have unintended consequences for users under 16.
The new regulations, which will come into effect on December 10, require platforms such as Meta, Snap, and TikTok to remove and deactivate over a million underage accounts. The companies have expressed concerns about the accuracy of age detection methods, citing issues with face scans that can incorrectly identify users between 16 and 17 years old.
"Age checks won't be perfect," says one expert, highlighting the limitations of current technology in detecting minors online. "There's no single solution that will work for all use cases, and even if we had, it wouldn't guarantee effectiveness across all deployments."
The law aims to reduce social media pressures on children and prevent them from accessing harmful content. However, critics argue that the ban may push kids to darker corners of the internet, where they are more likely to encounter online predators and experience harm.
YouTube spokesperson Rachel Lord has condemned the legislation as "extremely difficult to enforce" and failing to meet its promise of making kids safer online. The platform is among the loudest critics of the law, which it believes will have unintended consequences for users under 16.
Despite these concerns, social media companies are expected to comply with the regulations, citing fines of up to $32.5 million for non-compliance. As the law takes effect, platforms will need to find ways to detect underage users and prevent them from accessing online content.
The effectiveness of age checks will be spotty, at best, experts warn. While some companies may use sophisticated methods such as audio analysis or machine learning algorithms, others may rely on simpler approaches that can lead to false positives.
Ultimately, the law aims to reduce online harms by keeping harmful content out of reach. However, critics argue that the ban is a "simplistic" solution to complex issues and may have unintended consequences for users under 16.
like we can just magically prevent kids from accessing bad stuff online? it's 2025, we should be using AI to detect cyberbullies and predators not age checks 
any way you look at it this law is gonna push them to the dark web where they're more vulnerable 
and honestly i'm not sure if $32.5 million fines are enough to deter these companies from following their own rules 
! I mean, I get it, we gotta protect our kids from all the nasty stuff on the internet, but do we really think banning them altogether is gonna solve everything? I don't know, man... my niece is only 12 and she's already using TikTok 
. How are they gonna police that? And what about all the other platforms like Discord or Twitch? They're not even on this list! It just feels like a Band-Aid solution to me 
.
... I mean, how accurate can those things be, right? My friend's kid got kicked off Instagram for no reason because of some dodgy facial recognition 
. I'm just not sure this is gonna work as planned, you feel?
its either gonna be super effective or a total mess 
idk if the companies r doin it right though Meta, Snap & TikTok all wanna enforce these rules but they cant even get age detection 100% right? like wut kinda tech can detect whether ur 16 or 17 lol 
maybe its time for them to rethink their approach 
... I mean, think about it, what's gonna happen when platforms can't even detect underage accounts accurately? We're talking about kids here, who are already vulnerable online 
. If they can't figure out a way to do age checks properly, we might as well just throw our hands up in the air 
. But what's the alternative? Letting kids have free reign on the internet without any protection? That doesn't seem like a viable option to me 
. And don't even get me started on how hard it is for these companies to detect underage users, it's just not that simple 
! They can't just magic up a foolproof way to keep kids safe online... like what? Some kind of superpower?! 
What's the point of banning them from one platform if they just find another way to get online? And what about all the older teens who are, like, totally responsible and shouldn't be treated like minors? 
. It's gonna push them to darker corners of the internet, where they're more vulnerable to predators and stuff... it's not a solution to the problem.
.
.
. And what about all the legit kids who have already created accounts before the law was passed? They're just gonna get banned too. 
It's just so easy to get caught up in online drama and social pressure, I'm not sure this law will actually make things better for kids...
. Plus, have you seen those face scans that are supposed to check ages? 
Age check ban on social media platforms! I mean think about it - what's the point of having these massive online communities if you can't even trust that they're not filled with kids trying to get attention or escape their own problems? 
It's like, the companies are saying "hey we care" by implementing these checks and balances... but at the same time, they're also acknowledging that it might not work perfectly 
. I'm all about giving them a chance, though - maybe this is just the start of something new? 
... just wondering if it's worth the hassle.
. I've seen some of my friends try to cover up their age on these sites and it's not that hard to do, you know? And what about all the older kids who are already using these platforms? Are we really going to push them into darker corners of the internet? 