Australia is banning young teens from social media. Could it happen in the US?

By Clare Duffy, CNN

New York (CNN) — A world-first ban on major social media platforms for children under the age of 16 goes into effect in Australia on Wednesday. And regulators, parents and teenagers around the globe are watching closely to see how it plays out.

The law comes after years of concerns that social media platforms can cause addiction, body image issues, depression and other mental health issues for teens, as well as potentially exposing them to bullying or sexual exploitation.

Two Australian teens have already sued to block the law, claiming it violates their rights to political expression. And other critics have raised free speech and privacy concerns.

Still, Denmark and Malaysia are similarly planning to ban young teens from social media. In the United States, some lawmakers and political leaders have also advocated for more restrictive policies. Which begs the question: Could a social media ban for young teens happen here?

“This is a hugely important test case,” said Michael Posner, director of the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights. “If it succeeds … then I think a number of states, a number of governments are going to say, ‘Wow, look what they did in Australia.’”

Here’s what we know.

What’s the Australia social media ban?

The Australia law directs a group of popular social media apps, designated as “age-restricted social media platforms,” to verify users’ ages and take steps to remove and block children under 16 starting on December 10. If they don’t, they could face millions of dollars in fines.

The list of affected apps includes Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Threads, TikTok, Twitch, X and YouTube. Other platforms, such as Roblox and Discord, are not currently subject to the law, although they could be added.

Many of the designated platforms have pushed back, saying they already have steps in place to protect young users. But most say they’ll take steps to block children under 16. Teens who use these platforms won’t face consequences if they flout the ban — for example, by using a VPN to make it appear that they’re accessing the apps from another country.

How do tech companies verify users’ ages?

To comply with Australia’s law, platforms are verifying users’ ages with official documents or by using AI systems that estimate a user’s age by scanning their face on camera. Last year, Australia conducted a government-funded study testing age verification methods, which convinced officials that it could be done without compromising privacy.

Such AI age estimation tools have raised accuracy concerns when deployed elsewhere. In the UK, teens reportedly used the faces of video game characters to bypass age gates when some platforms tried to verify their ages.

Critics have also said these systems raise privacy issues for all users who will have to provide biometric data or other sensitive information, even if they’re above 16.

For example, some users protested when YouTube said this year that it would start using AI to detect users’ ages in the United States in a bid to protect children. They didn’t like the idea of having to hand over an ID or face scan if they were wrongly identified as a teen.

In Australia, platforms will be required to delete users’ data after verifying their ages.

Could a teen social media ban happen in the US?

While none go as far as Australia’s ban, a growing number of US states have passed restrictions on teens’ access to social media or other internet services.

Nebraska’s governor, for example, signed a bill into law this year that requires social media platforms to verify users’ ages and get parental consent before minors can create accounts. The law goes into effect in July 2026.

Utah, Texas and Louisiana passed laws this year requiring app store operators to verify users’ ages and obtain parental consent for new downloads and updates. Social media companies, including Meta, have advocated for that policy because it centralizes responsibility for age verification with the app stores. However, Google and Apple argue that it requires them to collect too much information from adult users.

The Supreme Court also upheld a Texas law that requires age verification for pornographic websites. The move suggested the court isn’t necessarily opposed to some online age restrictions, despite a legal challenge from the adult industry that claimed it violated the Constitution because it limited the ability of adults to access protected speech.

And some have proposed going farther. Rahm Emanuel, the former chief of staff for President Barack Obama who has indicated he’s considering a 2028 presidential run, said Tuesday that the United States should also block children under 16 from social media.

Still, a federal policy in the United States seems unlikely, given Congress’ inability to agree on and pass other social media and youth safety-related legislation. Any such policy would also likely face First Amendment challenges.

“Big Tech would fight a national ban with all its lobbying might and the Trump Administration only seems interested in loosening the reins on tech platforms,” said Alex Pascal, executive director of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University.

Still, he said, “the popular tide in America has definitely turned against the platforms, and I would expect to see increasing action by more states before 2030 to tackle the ills of social media for young people.”

How are apps protecting kids in the US?

Social media companies have already taken steps to protect children in the United States — separate from any regulation but under pressure from advocates and parents who have raised alarms about online harms to kids. These features included “take a break” reminders, content restrictions and parental controls.

More recently, many platforms have begun using AI to try to determine the ages of users — regardless of the birthdate they signed up with — to place them in more protected settings.

Instagram, for example, rolled out “teen accounts” last year, relying on personal attestations as well as AI estimation of user ages. This year, it aligned teen accounts restrictions with PG-13 movie ratings.

Following YouTube’s move to use AI to guess users’ ages, OpenAI said in September it was building AI age prediction technology into ChatGPT, in addition to parental controls it plans to roll out next year.

And Roblox last month said it would require all users to verify their age with an ID or face scan in order to access chat features, following a string of lawsuits alleging the platform has enabled sexual predators to connect with children.

These moves could potentially help tech firms thwart additional US regulations, or ensure they have the technology to comply with new requirements if they’re passed. If Australia’s under-16 ban proves successful, tech companies may be on the hook to make greater changes in more countries, including in the United States.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.