Teenagers in Australia are bracing for a reality TV show of their own making, as the country is set to ban kids under 16 from using social media. As of December 10, Australia's Social Media Minimum Age regulation will go into effect, which means that Australians under 16 years old will no longer be able to create or access social media accounts.
For 15-year-old Carlee Jade Clements, the thought of logging off TikTok and Snapchat is like waking up from a dream. "I love recording everything and posting it the moment I have it," she says. Like many teenagers, Clements relies on social media for communication, inspiration, and even her career. She has over 37,000 followers on Instagram, where she posts product reviews and photos from her modeling gigs.
But as of next week, Clements will be forced to find alternative ways to express herself online. The ban is part of a broader effort by Australian lawmakers to address the negative impact of social media on adolescents. While many teenagers have grown up with social media, they are also starting to realize its effects – almost half of US teens claim that social media harms people their age.
The legislation will penalize tech platforms, including TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube, and Reddit, if they allow under-16s to access their platforms. Platforms have already started to take action by locking accounts and adopting age verification requirements. Some, like Meta, enforced the new rules early.
But teenagers are not going down without a fight. 14-year-old Zoey Bender, who has 58,000 followers on TikTok, is taking steps to protect her online identity. She posted an e-petition asking the government to lower the age restriction to 13 and gathered over 44,000 signatures.
Bender largely sees being online as a positive influence. "Social media has taught me so much: How to be safe, makeup tips, how to email people, how to work like a business person," she says. But she counters that this is not unique to teenagers and that the solution should be left up to parents to set rules around social media use.
Other teenagers are worried about losing their online presence and community. 12-year-old Ava Jones estimates that her Instagram income will drop significantly once the ban takes effect, but she's more concerned about losing friends who live far away. "If that went away, I'd have to do more chores at home," she says.
As December 10 approaches, it remains unclear whether the ban will be effective or if teenagers will find ways to circumvent it. According to a recent survey from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, just six percent of respondents aged 9-15 think the ban will work – and 75% of those who use social media plan to continue using it once it takes effect.
In short, Australia is about to stage its own social media experiment, with teenagers fighting to preserve their online identities.
For 15-year-old Carlee Jade Clements, the thought of logging off TikTok and Snapchat is like waking up from a dream. "I love recording everything and posting it the moment I have it," she says. Like many teenagers, Clements relies on social media for communication, inspiration, and even her career. She has over 37,000 followers on Instagram, where she posts product reviews and photos from her modeling gigs.
But as of next week, Clements will be forced to find alternative ways to express herself online. The ban is part of a broader effort by Australian lawmakers to address the negative impact of social media on adolescents. While many teenagers have grown up with social media, they are also starting to realize its effects – almost half of US teens claim that social media harms people their age.
The legislation will penalize tech platforms, including TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube, and Reddit, if they allow under-16s to access their platforms. Platforms have already started to take action by locking accounts and adopting age verification requirements. Some, like Meta, enforced the new rules early.
But teenagers are not going down without a fight. 14-year-old Zoey Bender, who has 58,000 followers on TikTok, is taking steps to protect her online identity. She posted an e-petition asking the government to lower the age restriction to 13 and gathered over 44,000 signatures.
Bender largely sees being online as a positive influence. "Social media has taught me so much: How to be safe, makeup tips, how to email people, how to work like a business person," she says. But she counters that this is not unique to teenagers and that the solution should be left up to parents to set rules around social media use.
Other teenagers are worried about losing their online presence and community. 12-year-old Ava Jones estimates that her Instagram income will drop significantly once the ban takes effect, but she's more concerned about losing friends who live far away. "If that went away, I'd have to do more chores at home," she says.
As December 10 approaches, it remains unclear whether the ban will be effective or if teenagers will find ways to circumvent it. According to a recent survey from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, just six percent of respondents aged 9-15 think the ban will work – and 75% of those who use social media plan to continue using it once it takes effect.
In short, Australia is about to stage its own social media experiment, with teenagers fighting to preserve their online identities.
This age ban thing is gonna be super interesting to see how teens react to it... Some of them seem really passionate about not wanting to give up their online presence, like Zoey and Ava. They're right, social media can teach some useful skills, but at the same time, there are a lot of risks associated with being under 16 online 
But at the same time, maybe this ban will be a wake-up call for some teens to take a closer look at their social media habits and find healthier ways to connect with each other.
It's definitely gonna be a wild ride watching this play out.
like what am i supposed 2 do w/ all my followers n friends on there?? i get it tho the gov says its 4 safety reasons but isnt that just a fancy way of saying they dont wanna let us teens have our online freedom lol? 
zoey's e-petition got so much traction tho!! 
like 44k signatures fam thats dedication 
. It's not just about following influencers or posting selfies (although, tbh, that can get old quickly 
). For a lot of teens, social media is how they connect with friends, share their passions, and even find work 
.
) will tell.