Background: Back in November 2024, the Australian government announced plans to pass a law banning social media use for anyone under the age of 16. The government gave platforms like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat and Reddit over 12 months to prepare for that fateful day.

What happened: On Wednesday, the world-first social media ban kicked in. That means llatforms now have to shut down any account they suspect belongs to someone under 16, unless that user can pass an age-verification check. And if companies don’t comply, they could face fines of up to $50 million. But the tech isn’t perfect and teens are already jumping ship to alternative platforms like Lemon8 and Yope.

What else: This hits social media platforms in Australia haaaard. But not just the social media platforms. It also hurts Aussie brands who used these platforms to reach Gen Z and Gen Alpha.

What's the key learning?

💡A ban on an entire demographic doesn’t just shift user behaviour, it reshapes entire business models. With 96% of kids aged 10-15 using social media and Gen Alpha spending 2.5 hours a day on it - a huge chunk of online activity is suddenly off-limits.

💡Gen Alpha has been a major growth engine for brands. Companies have built whole product lines around trends driven by this age group. For example, Sephora kids has created a whole separate product offering tailored to under-16s via their online channels.

💡This ban forces companies to rethink how they acquire customers (but also whether they should be targeting such young users at all). With teens pushed off mainstream platforms, acquisition strategies, ad spend and youth marketing all need a reset.