📊 Most Aussies support the ban
Australia plans to ban anyone under 16 from using platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and X by the end of this year — and, according to a new survey, most Australians are on board.
Communications Minister Anika Wells, who’s overseeing the change, said in a statement that while the ban “will not be the end-all be-all solution for harms experienced by young people online” it will “make a significant impact.”
That statement was backed by a government-funded survey on “age assurance technology” — essentially, tools that check how old someone is. It found more than 80 percent of respondents supported the ban.
🛑 So how exactly do you enforce this?
That’s where things get tricky.
Since January, the government has been trialling tech to help enforce the ban. But the legislation rules out using official ID (like a passport) to verify someone’s age.
While support for the ban is high, more than three quarters of people in the same survey said they were very concerned about how their data would be handled.
🤖 What tech is on the table?
Facial and hand movement recognition that claims to estimate a user’s age;
Custom blockchains to store sensitive data without risking mass breaches
The final report from these trials is due by the end of June.
Interestingly, while 87 percent of people were okay using ID like a driver’s licence or passport to prove their age, only 37 percent were comfortable having body parts scanned for the same purpose — aka biometrics.
💼 The real battle: tech giants
Even if Australia lands on a reliable age-checking tool, the next fight will be with the social media platforms themselves — and they’re not exactly thrilled.
Meta (Facebook, Instagram), Google (YouTube), TikTok and Snapchat all stand to lose users — and profit — under this policy. There’s no reason to believe they’re racing to help the rollout.
In fact, Alphabet, which owns Google, is working on its own ID system to use across its platforms. And Meta has already pushed back against European rules, hinting it might escalate concerns all the way to Donald Trump.
🇺🇸 Could it end up in the White House?
It’s a wild card — but not impossible.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has shifted Facebook politically rightward in recent years, loosened content moderation rules, and was among the tech billionaires cosying up to Trump during his first term.
Australia might be a small player, but if this law catches global attention, there’s a chance Zuckerberg could raise it with Trump as part of a broader push against international regulation.
The message? Age-checking laws might start here — but the ripple effects could go global.