As the Federal Government prepares to introduce legislation to parliament for the ban, Education Minister Jason Clare said the age limit would have benefits similar to efforts to ban mobile phones from classrooms.

Consultation over the ban would continue with principals and parent groups, Clare said, arguing there would be education benefits to the proposal.

“As of this year, mobile phones have been banned in schools, and we are seeing the difference. There are less distractions in the classroom and more playing and social interaction in the playground,” he said.

“But when school finishes, students get their phones back and they’re back in that social media cesspit. That’s why setting a minimum age limit for social media is so important.”

Should the laws pass parliament - and the prospect is positive given the coalition has previously flagged support - the ban would come into effect 12 months later.

The Government says children would still be able to access online services for education and health.

The proposed ban would extend to social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, with YouTube also set to be included.

South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas, who first proposed a ban on 14-year-olds using social media but eventually landed on a 16-year cut-off, said the only “bad” that could come of it was young people would spend more time socialising with each other in the real world.

"We are talking about the most precious resource that our nation has - our young people - and they are being done harm by these social media giants, often industrialising addictive algorithms for their bottom line rather than for the interests of our young people," he said.

Australian Government Primary Principals Association president Pat Murphy agreed and said social media ban would benefit students.

“The use of social media sites by primary students is a constant concern for school principals and teachers with bullying being unregulated and prevalent, leading to widespread issues in communities which flows into schools,” he said.

“Primary educators are witnessing firsthand that social media creates distractions, impacts friendships and affects students’ sleep.

“Our students are facing unprecedented challenges with social media influencing their self-esteem, relationships and concentration in the classroom.”

Questions remain, however about how the ban will work in practice.

Monash University media expert Mugdha Rai said the legislation raised questions that would need answering.

“The legislation requires social media companies to take ‘reasonable steps’ to block people under 16,” Dr Rai said.

“What would these ‘reasonable steps’ look like?

“How exactly will age be verified? By the platforms themselves? By a third party?

“Privacy concerns will clearly need to be addressed in either case.”

The legislation would come with strong privacy provisions because it was designed to protect young people, Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said.

When asked by Ali Moore on ABC Melbourne Drive yesterday how social media companies will enforce the ban and how they will know whether a person is 16, Clare said they [the companies] already do a bit of this already, [but] they could do it better.

“... that’s what the age assurance trial will be all about,” he said.

“And if they don’t take it seriously, then there will be increased penalties that will be part of the legislation that we introduce." 

Tech giants meanwhile are wary of a social media age limit, saying it should be up to app stores, not them, to enforce the rules to ensure safety across the board.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, argues against putting the onus on social media companies to enforce the proposed age limit, saying the technology for a perfect solution “isn’t quite there yet”.

Age verification and assurance technologies are being trialled for enforcement of the ban, with the testing due to finish in early 2025.

If implemented, Australia would be the first country to have an age ban on social media.