– Attributed to Lao Tzu, except for the second sentence, which was added by some critics of the Australian social media law. On Dec. 10, 2025, the nation became the first to require that social media platforms prevent children under 16 from creating or maintaining accounts. What the World Should Learn from Australia’s Social Media LawHere is the first paragraph of our TIME article:Australia’s new social media law took effect on Dec. 10, 2025, raising the age to open or maintain social media accounts to 16. The law called for the biggest social media platforms to do more than just ask for a birthdate. Table 1 illustrates why it is important to understand that Australia’s social media law is designed to prevent children under 16 from creating or maintaining social media accounts; it is not meant to prevent them from accessing social media content altogether.