"Starting Dec. 10, covered platforms must take "reasonable steps" to prevent Australians under age 16 from creating or keeping accounts, with no parental-consent exceptions. Under the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) framework, platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, X, YouTube, Reddit, Threads, Kick and Twitch are required to block accounts held by under-16s or face fines up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) per breach. The rules apply to both domestic and international platforms serving Australian users and aim to create a uniform national minimum age of 16."
"Government guidance says platforms must use age-assurance tools but cannot rely solely on demanding government ID uploads, pushing companies toward a mix of signals such as AI-based age estimation and behavioral analysis. The government's privacy regulator has emphasized providers only need to take "reasonable steps," leaving room for different technical approaches. Australia's internet regulator, eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, said at the Sydney Dialogue security summit on Thursday she was initially concerned about a "blunt-force" approach but incremental changes just weren't getting the job done. "We've reached a tipping point," she said in remarks reported by India's Economic Times. "I've always referred to this as the first domino.""
Australia will ban social media accounts for people under 16 nationwide from Dec. 10, creating a uniform minimum age across domestic and international platforms serving Australians. Covered platforms must take "reasonable steps" to prevent under-16s from creating or keeping accounts, with fines up to A$50 million per breach. Platforms must use age-assurance tools and cannot rely solely on government ID uploads, encouraging AI-based age estimation and behavioral signals. Major named services include Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, X, YouTube, Reddit, Threads, Kick and Twitch. Several other democracies are exploring similar minimum-age rules.
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