If they fail to take "reasonable steps" to block young teens, the firms behind platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and YouTube face hefty fines.
Here are the main methods they're turning to as the law takes effect Wednesday:
- ID please -
It sounds simple: scan your passport, driver's licence or other official ID to prove you are aged 16 or over.
But beyond the potential for teens to use a parent or older sibling's ID, this raises privacy concerns that could scare off people legally allowed to hold an account.
So Australia has told social media platforms they cannot require users to show a government ID -- even if a dispute arises over someone's age.
Some platforms are employing third-party services to make the process smoother for users who choose to certify their date of birth this way.
For example, Snapchat account holders can prove their age through an Australian bank account, or by providing ID to the Singapore-based age verification service k-ID.
"The documents you submit will only be used to verify your age," Snapchat's parent company Snap says.
"Snap will only collect a 'yes/no' result on whether someone is above the minimum age threshold," it explains.
- Selfie time -
Snapchat users can also take a selfie that k-ID will use to estimate their age -- another verification technology now in the spotlight.
Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook, has tasked a different company, the London startup Yoti, to handle its ID and selfie age checks.
Over time, "the algorithm got very good at looking at patterns and working out, 'this face with these patterns looks like a 17-year-old or a 28-year-old'", Yoti CEO Robin Tombs told AFP.
Yoti's AI can estimate someone's age within a minute.
The firm, which TikTok also uses for age checks, says its tool should know if the person behind the camera is real, and not a photo or video.
Yoti removes all data after digitally analysing a face, Tombs said.
But there are concerns over false results if the selfie-taker is very close to 16 years old, or finds new ways to fool the system.
- Behaviour patterns -
Not every Australian user will have to prove their age -- only those suspected of holding an underage account.
Meta has already started deactivating accounts based on information such as the age given when they were created.
With so much data at their fingertips, social media platforms have several other ways of estimating a user's age.
These range from the content consumed -- a teen is more likely to search for gaming tips than how to descale a showerhead, for instance -- to a quieter period during the school day.
Birthday greetings from friends that include someone's age could also be a giveaway, or if a user's email address has been used in the past for typically grown-up tasks.
Such signals are already used by social media companies to target their online advertising.
But here, too, there are privacy and accuracy concerns.
- 'Waterfall' -
Australia's eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, has said that using "a waterfall of effective techniques and tools" can help avoid errors and mitigate privacy worries.
The country expects rebellious teens will do their best to skirt the laws, with platforms expected to devise their own means to stop this.
"Of course, no solution is likely to be 100 percent effective all of the time," the internet safety watchdog has said.
Andy Lulham of the age-check tech company Verifymy said there would be challenges.
"Age estimation methods may not always successfully pass every user, especially those who have just turned 16 but don't have -- or want to use -- identification," he said.
"In those cases, a responsible adult may be required to vouch for a child's eligibility."
'Not black or white': Teens worldwide react to Australia social media ban
Hong Kong (AFP) Dec 9, 2025 -
Australia's landmark move to ban under-16s from social media will be closely watched by other countries, which could follow suit with similar laws.
AFP spoke to teenagers and adults around the world in the run-up to the Australian ban, which came into force on Wednesday. Here are some of their reactions:
- Mumbai: 'Nothing is black or white' -
At the seafront in India's Mumbai, 19-year-old Pratigya Jena scrolls with her friends through Instagram videos of a posing influencer and a camel at a beach.
Social media "should be partially banned because according to me nothing is either black or white", the student said.
"Gen Z are very active, they are doing really well on social media. And doing great things, especially young entrepreneurs," Jena said.
At the same time, children watching adult content online "has a very bad effect".
At a Mumbai park, cricket coach Pratik Bhurke, 38, said Australia's move would encourage children to spend time outdoors and could have "great benefits" in India too.
- Berlin: 'Help to detox' -
In the chilly German capital, Luna Drewes, 13, is watching selfie-style TikTok clips posted by other young people.
The ban was "actually a good thing in some ways because social media often portrays a certain image of how people should look, like girls have to be thin", she said.
Another teenager, Enno Caro Brandes, said: "I'm 15 so for me the ban would definitely come into effect. I can't really imagine giving it up completely.
"A ban is a bit extreme, but it could definitely help to do a detox."
- Doha: 'Really stupid' -
An AI baby singing and answering interview questions are among the videos served up to Firdha Razak, 16, as she scrolls in her room.
Razak is not in favour of a ban. "It's really stupid, honestly," although "there's not really much we can do as 16-year-olds" if governments decide to act, she said.
The families of many people in Qatar live abroad, so "it's going to be so much harder to talk to them".
Also in Doha, Youssef Walid, 16, said bans like Australia's were "a bit harsh" and hard to enforce.
"We can use VPN. We can easily bypass the security and easily make new accounts," he said.
- Lagos: 'We were born with it' -
At a Nigerian high school, Mitchelle Okinedo is revising for exams, checking over her hand-written notes. In the classroom -- where phones are banned -- students in uniform sit at separate desks.
"I see where the (Australian) government is coming from. Students nowadays, they are really distracted," Okinedo said.
Even so, "we were born with it", the 15-year-old added. "And I don't think it's something I want to stop."
Her mother, 50-year-old event planner Hannah Okinedo, agrees with a social media ban for under-16s, saying most parents "don't have time to monitor their children all day".
- Mexico City: 'Express yourself' -
Young Mexico City resident Aranza Gomez, 11, has had a smartphone with access to social media for one year.
Without it, "I would honestly feel sad. I wouldn't really have a good way to spend my time," she said.
Santiago Ramirez Rojas, 16, is sitting on a bench in the Tabacalera district, scrolling through posts containing news about Argentina and tour dates for a musician.
"Social media today is very important for expressing yourself, no matter how old you are," said Rojas.
But "there are many kidnappings that begin online" and "younger kids, around 10 or 12, are much more vulnerable".
- Sydney: 'Not going to have any impact' -
In Australia one family has diverging ideas on how the law will go.
"I don't think the government really knows what they're doing and I don't think it's going to have any impact on children of Australia," said 15-year-old Layton Lewis.
But his mother Emily Lewis hopes it will help children "have better, more authentic relationships".
"They'll make proper plans, like we used to, to meet up with their friends face-to-face and have proper conversations as opposed to these illusive friendships online," she said.
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