US Famous Host Oprah Winfrey Supports Social Media Age Restrictions In Australia

JAKARTA - American talk show host Oprah Winfrey supports Australian regulations to ban social media for residents under 16 starting next week.

At an event in Sydney, Winfrey said that the regulation, which will take full effect on December 10, 2025, will help young people socialize more.

"I think you will change the life of a generation full of children who will have a better life," Winfrey told Reuters.

Winfrey, who is currently on a speech tour across Australia, said he was deeply concerned about the impact the internet has on boys.

"There are many young people who actually can't communicate or chat, especially boys because they are addicted to pornography very early and don't know how to invite someone to date, haven't experienced the process of socializing by talking to real people," he said.

Therefore, Winfrey added, "So once again, Australia is leading the way for the whole world".

The law will block children and teens from platforms like Snap's TikTok, Meta's Instagram and Snapchat. The government says the ban aims to protect young people from harmful content and online predators.

Recently, YouTube sent a message to millions of users and content creators in Australia, who said they would comply with social media ban rules for teens under 16 years of age.

The ban on accounts for users under 16 brings a fine of up to USD 49.5 million for violating platforms.

Meta via Facebook and Instagram, together with TikTok and Snapchat, have already agreed to the rules. Meanwhile, Elon Musk's X and the Reddit forum have not publicly confirmed their move.