Australia Expands Social Media Age Restrictions to Reddit and Kick
Canberra, Australia – Australia is further solidifying its position as a global leader in child online safety, extending its social media age restrictions to include Reddit and Kick.com,effective December 10th. the move brings the total number of platforms subject to the new rules to nine, requiring users to be at least 16 years old to create accounts.
The Australian eSafety Commissioner announced the expansion, adding the internet forum Reddit and the live streaming platform Kick.com – a competitor to Twitch – to the existing list wich includes TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. Companies failing to comply with the age verification requirements and implement effective safeguards face potential fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars (approximately 28 million euros) per violation.
“Giving young people later access to social media gives them valuable time to develop without the powerful, invisible forces of opaque algorithms and endless scrolling,” stated online safety advocate Julie Inman Grant.
Certain platforms are exempt from the age restrictions, including messaging services, email, voice and video calls, online gaming platforms like roblox, and educational offerings. WhatsApp and Messenger are also not covered under the new regulation.
The legislation, passed a year ago, positions Australia as a pioneer in this area, receiving broad support from across the political spectrum under Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Platforms were granted a twelve-month period to implement the necessary changes.
While Greece is attempting to address the issue with a parental control app, and similar discussions are underway in Denmark, Germany currently lacks a legally defined minimum age for social media use. Though parental consent is theoretically required for users under 16, verification is rare and easily circumvented.
Source: ntv.de, mau/dpa
