Australia’s world’s-first nationwide ban on social media for teens officially went into effect on December 10, 2025, requiring platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, X and others to block all users under 16 or face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars. The law shifts responsibility entirely onto tech companies to verify users’ ages using approved age-assurance tools, rather than relying on parents or teens. The government says the move is aimed at protecting young people from mental-health harms, cyberbullying, online predators and addictive algorithms, while critics warn it could push teens toward unregulated platforms and reduce access to online support communities as the world closely watches the results.