The Australian Digital Crossing

Australia's Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 represents a world-first legislative attempt to ban social media access for children under 16, shifting the responsibility for age verification from parents to major technology platforms under threat of heavy fines. Rooted in the “Anxious Generation” hypothesis that links smartphone-based social media to declining youth mental health, the Act aims to disrupt harmful algorithmic feedback loops and protect child development. However, this bold social experiment faces significant skepticism regarding its technical feasibility due to likely VPN circumvention and privacy concerns associated with mass identity verification, alongside fears that it may inadvertently isolate vulnerable youth and degrade existing digital safety tools by forcing users into uncurated, “signed-out” environments.