Australia was approved by the Senate overnight.
So is the ban, which will come into effect at the end of 2025 and has made global news from governments, technology companies and citizens around the world.
The ban also applies to platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Reddit and X.
Exemptions will apply to health and education services, including YouTube, Messenger Kids, WhatsApp, Kids Helpline and Google Classroom.
Social media sites will have to take reasonable steps to prevent under-16s from creating accounts, with companies facing fines of $50 million for systemic breaches.
News sites around the world, such as the New York Times, Spain's El País, India's Amar Ujala, BBC News and the South China Morning Post, all reported on the bill passed by the Senate.
The implementation of the new law will take 12 months and has led to mixed reactions worldwide. Source: SBS news
Divided reactions around the world
The story has sparked discussion and commentary from users on some news sites.
A New York Post article titled Australia passes first-ever social media ban for children under 16 drew mixed reactions, with one user saying: “Australia will be a closely watched social experiment. Get the popcorn ready.”
Another said the United States should follow suit: “Like alcohol and voting, America should only allow adults who have some semblance of maturity to have access to social media. It is destructive and can easily ruin lives.”
Young people from around the world also gave differing opinions on the legislation during interviews by the Reuters news agency.
High school student Kerstein Gomez from Havana, Cuba, said the ban is a “little extreme.”
“It is true that there is content on social media that is not exactly content that teenagers should see, but nevertheless I think this measure is a bit extreme because it limits all of us in what we can receive, the positive things we can do.” received from social media,” she said.
Javier Martinez, 12, told Reuters it was a “crazy” decision.
“I wouldn't want this to happen in Spain,” he said.
Parisian student Amal Alfra said banning social media for teenagers under 16 is “a bit late”.
“Everything happens on social media today,” she said. “And so I think this is a little bit out of touch with reality.”
However, 24-year-old Mia Hanson from London said it was “good to have some sort of restrictions for younger children” on social media.
“There are a lot of things online that are quite dangerous and scary for young children to see, so I think it's good to have some kind of ban,” she said.
Anthony Albanese calls the ban a 'social responsibility'
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese addressed the new law during a press conference on Friday morning.
“Platforms now have a social responsibility to ensure that the safety of our children is a priority for them,” he said.
He added: “We are not arguing that its implementation will be perfect. Like the under-18s alcohol ban, this doesn't mean anyone under 18 will never have access, but we know it's the right thing to do.”
But Sunita Bose, director of the technology industry advocacy group DIGI said there were still many questions about how the ban would work.
“The ban on social media could push young people into darker, less safe corners of the internet, where there aren't the safety barriers that exist on mainstream platforms,” she said.
Opposition communications spokesman David Coleman said the coalition would make enforcing the ban a priority if it won government at the next election.
“This new law will make a real difference to Australian families,” he said.
“It took longer than we would have liked for the government to act, but we are pleased that this law has now been passed by parliament.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the world's first social media ban on people under the age of 16 will lead to less harm and better outcomes for children. Source: MONKEY / MONKEY
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, which will be subject to the ban, issued a statement saying that while it respects parliament's decision, it believes the legislation is “rushed.”
“The task now is to ensure that productive consultation takes place on all rules related to the bill, to ensure a technically feasible outcome that does not impose a heavy burden on parents and teenagers,” Meta said.
Social media platform X owner Elon Musk previously called the law a “backdoor way to control access to the internet for all Australians”.
Which countries could be next?
The social media age law presents Australia as a test case for a growing number of governments that have introduced or plan to introduce age restrictions on social media amid concerns about the impact on young people's mental health.
Countries including France and some US states have passed laws in an attempt to restrict access to minors without parental consent, but Australia's ban is absolute.
A complete ban on young people under the age of 14 in Florida is being challenged in court on freedom of speech grounds.
The United Kingdom has discussed a similar ban on social media for people under the age of 16. In an interview with the BBC, the country's technology secretary, responding to questions about following Australia's lead, said: “Everything is on my table.”
The European Union introduced legislation in 2015 banning young people under 16 from using online services without parental consent, but allowed countries to opt out of the age ban.
With reporting by the Australian Associated Press.
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