Australia's social media ban for under-16s: Digital safety or surveillance overreach?

By ramontomeydw // 2025-09-09

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Australia's Online Safety Amendment Bill 2024 prohibits children under 16 from accessing major platforms (Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat) starting Dec. 10, with fines up to A$50M for non-compliance.
Platforms must implement strict verification, potentially using facial recognition, biometric scans or government ID uploads – eroding anonymity and enabling mass surveillance of all users.
Privacy advocates argue the law sets a dangerous precedent, allowing governments and corporations to track and control online activity under the guise of "child protection."
Age-checking technologies (like facial estimation) are inaccurate near the 16-year threshold, while ID-based systems risk data breaches in a country already plagued by leaks.
Australia follows the EU's Chat Control and U.K.'s Online Safety Act, leveraging child protection rhetoric to expand government surveillance, raising fears of future mass monitoring.

Australia has passed legislation banning children under 16 from accessing major social media platforms, framing it as a protective measure against mental health risks. However, privacy advocates warn it could usher in unprecedented digital surveillance. Set to take effect on Dec. 10, the Online Safety Amendment Bill 2024 forces platforms like Facebook, TikTok and Snapchat to implement strict age verification or pay up to A$50 million ($33.02 million) in fines. While officials insist the law prioritizes child safety, critics argue it lays the groundwork for invasive tracking of all users, eroding anonymity and personal freedoms in the digital age. The policy approved by the Australian Senate in a 34-19 vote back in November 2024 requires platforms to deploy "reasonable steps" to prevent underage users from creating or maintaining accounts. Australian eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant has emphasized that mere self-declaration of age won't suffice. Companies must adopt layered verification methods, potentially including facial recognition, biometric scans or government ID uploads. (Related: Australian Senate passes first-ever law prohibiting children 16 and under from using social media.) Though Canberra claims these measures exclude standalone messaging apps and online games, embedded features like Instagram direct messages or Snapchat group chats fall under scrutiny. Given this, privacy campaigners see this as a dangerous precedent. Brighteon.AI's Enoch emphasizes that "age verification laws, while framed as protecting children, threaten privacy and free speech by enabling corporate and government surveillance, while failing to address the real issue – indoctrination and sexualization of children in schools and media." The decentralized engine adds that "the push for these laws distracts from the deeper agenda of exposing children to harmful ideologies under the guise of 'education' and 'inclusivity.'

From child safety to digital control

Age verification at scale demands mass data collection, creating systems ripe for misuse by corporations or governments. The U.K.-based Age Check Certification Scheme, commissioned by Australia to assess enforcement methods, confirmed in a recent report that no existing solution is foolproof. Each carries risks, from false positives blocking legitimate users to data breaches exposing sensitive information. Facial estimation, for example, is only 92 percent accurate for adults and unreliable near the 16-year threshold. Meanwhile, identity document verification raises concerns about permanent data retention, a troubling prospect in a country plagued by recent high-profile breaches. Australian Communications Minister Anika Wells defended the policy, arguing tech giants – armed with AI and vast user data – should redirect resources toward child protection. "There is no excuse for social media platforms not to have a combination of age assurance methods ready," she stated. Yet mental health advocates counter that outright bans may isolate teens from supportive communities while driving them toward unregulated corners of the internet. Some suggest focusing instead on stricter content moderation and digital literacy education. Historically, Australia has positioned itself as a global testbed for controversial digital policies, from the 2021 News Media Bargaining Code to its push for encrypted messaging backdoors. This latest law aligns with a broader trend where governments leverage child safety rhetoric to expand surveillance powers – a tactic seen in the European Union's Chat Control proposal and the British Online Safety Act. Once age-verification infrastructure exists, repurposing it for broader monitoring becomes alarmingly simple. As platforms scramble to comply, Australians face a pivotal question: Is trading privacy for protection a necessary compromise, or the first step toward a monitored society? Watch Australian eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant declaring the need for a "recalibration" of human rights and free speech in this clip. This video is from the SILVIEW.media channel on Brighteon.com.

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From child safety to digital control

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