澳洲禁止未满16岁青少年使用社群媒体的新法已于周三生效，TikTok、Instagram、Snapchat、YouTube、Reddit 等平台若未能阻挡未满16岁用户，最高将被罚款4,950万澳元（约3,300万美元）。这是全球首个民主国家实施的此类全面禁令，印尼、丹麦、巴西等政府正密切关注并考虑采取类似措施，以回应对网路伤害与网路霸凌日益升高的忧虑。
多数平台表示会遵守，但批评立法过于仓促，可能迫使儿童转向更危险的网路角落。实测显示，若输入未满16岁生日，Facebook、TikTok、Instagram 皆会阻挡开户或显示错误讯息；但只要声称自己16岁或以上，目前似乎仍缺乏更严格验证。Reddit 宣布为全球未满18岁用户推出新安全功能，未被纳入禁令的 Discord 则强化澳洲用户的安全设计。印尼则宣布未满18岁使用社群需家长同意，引发业者批评会造成「灾难」。
禁令也快速改变使用行为：在澳洲不受影响的替代平台如 Lemon8 和 Yepo 在 App Store 人气激增。小红书（Rednote）行动 App 的周活跃用户在12月1日当周较一年前成长37%，主打世代 Alpha 的 Coverstar 在澳洲使用量更飙升488%。为翻墙规避限制而使用虚拟私人网路（VPN）的需求在周日比前28天日均水准大增103%。同时，年轻人以 #socialmediaban 标签在 TikTok 上表达支持与反对，凸显社会对保护儿少与数位自由之间的激烈拉锯。
Australia’s new law banning social media use for under‑16s took effect on Wednesday, forcing services such as TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube and Reddit to keep minors off their platforms or face fines of up to A$49.5 million (US$33 million). It is the first such ban in a democracy and is closely watched by policymakers in Indonesia, Denmark, Brazil and elsewhere who are considering similar moves amid rising concern about online harms and cyberbullying.
Major platforms say they will comply but argue the rules were rushed and could drive children into more dangerous online spaces. Tests showed that entering birth dates under 16 blocked account creation on Facebook, TikTok and Instagram, while claiming to be 16 or older appeared to bypass stricter checks. Reddit is rolling out new safety features globally for all under‑18s, Discord is enhancing safety in Australia despite not being covered by the ban, and Indonesia plans to require parental approval for all users under 18, a step some companies call a potential “disaster.”
The ban is already reshaping behavior: alternative apps not covered by the rules, such as Lemon8 and Yepo, surged in Apple’s App Store rankings. Rednote (Xiaohongshu) saw weekly active mobile users jump 37% in the week of December 1 compared with a year earlier, while Coverstar’s usage in Australia skyrocketed 488% over the same period. Demand for virtual private networks rose 103% on Sunday versus the previous 28‑day daily average, as young users seek workarounds, while TikTok’s #socialmediaban tag hosts both criticism and support, highlighting tensions between youth protection and digital freedom.