Australia is banning social media for kids under 16

Effective December 10th, social media companies in Australia must take "reasonable steps" to prevent children under 16 from creating accounts and must deactivate existing ones.

This new government policy aims to mitigate the "risks and pressures" children face from harmful content, including eating disorders, misogyny, and suicide.

Companies that do not comply with the law repeatedly can be fined up to $49.5 million.

Age checks will be conducted using age assurance technologies, such as face and voice recognition, as well as government IDs.