'We are learning from you': PM Modi praises Australia's social media ban for under-16-year-olds

Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised Australia's decision to ban social media for children under the age of 16 during his visit to the country.

Referring to the landmark law restricting children's access to social media, Modi said, "We are learning from you."

Modi is visiting Australia for the Australia-India Annual Leaders' Summit, where discussions are expected to focus on trade, defence, security and economic cooperation.

Australia's social media ban

Australia became the first country in the world to enforce a nationwide ban on social media for children under 16. Under the law, platforms including Instagram, Facebook, Threads, X, Snapchat, Kick, Twitch, TikTok, Reddit and YouTube are required to prevent users under the age of 16 from accessing their services.

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The legislation is aimed at protecting young people from harmful online content and reducing the impact of social media on children's mental health.

Parents and children will not face penalties for violating the rules. Instead, technology companies are responsible for enforcing the law and can face fines of up to 32 million dollars for non-compliance, according to a report by BBC.

However, the Australian government has now moved to tighten the law further. It has announced that the maximum penalty for breaches will be increased to 99 million dollars. The updated legislation will also allow the country's eSafety Commissioner to compel social media companies to provide evidence of the steps they have taken to comply with the ban.

The tougher measures come after concerns that many children continue to access social media despite the restrictions. Children under 16 have officially been barred from the 10 major social media platforms since 10 December 2025, but enforcement has proved challenging.

The Australian move has attracted international attention, with countries including the UK announcing plans to introduce similar restrictions. British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said a comparable ban for children under 16 is expected to come into effect by spring 2027.

AustralianSuper announces fresh India investment

During the visit, Australia's largest pension fund, AustralianSuper, announced an additional investment of AU$500 million in India's National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF).

The latest commitment raises AustralianSuper's total investments in India across all asset classes to AU$3.3 billion.

The investment follows the fund's initial AU$240 million commitment to NIIF in 2019. AustralianSuper said that investment has become one of its best-performing infrastructure assets.

Prime Minister Modi described the announcement as "yet another glimpse of the global confidence in India's growth and reform trajectory".

Established in 2015, the NIIF was created to attract long-term global capital for infrastructure development in India.

AustralianSuper Chief Executive Paul Schroder is expected to attend the Australia-India Annual Leaders'Summit, where the latest investment announcement is expected to feature prominently.

AustralianSuper Chief Investment Officer Shaun Manuell said the fund's partnership with NIIF had produced strong returns, prompting the fresh investment.

"AustralianSuper's investment in the NIIF has been one of our most successful partnerships and that's why we're excited to invest again to help drive returns for members," he said.

Manuell said the experience demonstrated what could be achieved through long-term capital, supportive policy, trusted institutions and strong partnerships. He added that policy consistency had been a key factor behind the latest investment decision.

According to Manuell, India's strong economic growth, expanding middle class and government measures to ease capital deployment for institutional investors have strengthened the country's appeal for global investors.

"AustralianSuper is making a second investment in the NIIF because those fundamental strengths are still there and we see the potential for more returns for members," he said.

AustralianSuper currently has about AU$2.8 billion invested in India across infrastructure, equities and private markets. The new commitment further strengthens Australia's long-term investment presence in one of the world's fastest-growing major economies.