How will other countries respond after a wait-and-see period? What are the foreseeable enforcement and compliance challenges?

With Australia announcing the banning of under-16s from accessing social media platforms starting late 2025, the IT industry is abuzz with chatter about the pros and cons of this move, and how other countries will respond.

News reports have indicated that the United Kingdom has no immediate plans to emulate the tough measures, even as tougher standards (the Online Safety Act) for social media platforms are set to be enforced from 2025.

In the European Union, parental consent has always been required for the personal data of children under the age of 16. In Italy, children under the age of 15 have already been required to obtain parental consent before they can apply for social media accounts.

According to Xiaofeng Wang, Principal Analyst, Forrester, other countries have similar, although less stringent, regulations. France requires age verification and parental consent for users under 15, Germany mandates parental permission for users aged 13–16, and China limits users under 14 to 40 minutes of daily usage. “Enforcing this law is challenging. Social media companies must implement accurate age verification systems, raising privacy concerns. Ensuring consistent enforcement across platforms and jurisdictions is also complex,” Wang noted.

Social media platforms and marketers in Australia will have to implement significant operational changes, including overhauling user registration and monitoring processes to ensure compliance. Brands and marketers will need to adjust their demographic strategies or explore alternative platforms, Wang said.

In the meantime, it is business as usual elsewhere until other countries see the results of the ban and react accordingly. What social media users in general can do now is to understand the perennial risks involved in joining Big Tech platforms, and understand how they can protect not only their young ones, but also remind mature adults in their social circles to remain vigilant to increasingly sophisticated threats online.

According to Claribel Chai, Country Director (Singapore), Palo Alto Networks in an earlier commentary: “Sometimes, even the slightest oversharing of information on social media can lead others to the trail of your digital footprints, guiding them closer to stealing your privacy.”