Millions of young users face forced logouts

Australia’s new Social Media Minimum Age law comes into force today, forcing platforms to remove accounts held by users under 16 or risk hefty fines. A Wired report follows teen influencers who have built small businesses on TikTok and Instagram but must now either hand accounts to parents, switch to adult-managed handles or prepare to lose audiences entirely. For many, the platforms are not just entertainment but a key social lifeline and a first taste of income and entrepreneurship.

Under the law, companies from Meta to Snapchat and YouTube must verify ages more aggressively and shut down non-compliant accounts, with regulators promising tough enforcement. Parents and politicians backing the ban say they are responding to mounting evidence that intensive social media use harms mental health, fuels bullying and exposes children to predators and misinformation. Teenagers interviewed by Wired acknowledge the downsides but argue that a blanket ban punishes responsible users, makes it harder to stay in touch with friends and will likely be bypassed by tech-savvy kids who fake their ages.

New front in the global ‘age-gated’ internet debate

The Australian experiment is being closely watched by governments worldwide, many of which are weighing their own age-verification rules. Civil liberties groups warn that intrusive identity checks could normalize mass data collection, while industry lobbyists complain that inconsistent national standards will fragment the internet. For South Asian parents and policymakers following the debate, the Australian case highlights the difficulty of balancing child safety with digital inclusion, especially where offline public spaces for teenagers are limited.

Teen creators already adapting

Despite their frustration, some young influencers are treating the ban as another algorithm change to be worked around. They are shifting content to parent-managed accounts, building email lists or experimenting with newer apps hoping to skirt the restrictions. Brands that once relied on under-16 creators for low-cost marketing are reassessing contracts and seeking older faces. Whatever its ultimate effectiveness, the law signals that the era of unfettered youth access to major platforms is over — and that future social media design will increasingly be shaped by child-safety politics as much as by engagement metrics.