Australia to Enforce Age Restrictions on Popularโ Social Media Platforms
CANBERRA – A new Australian law is set toโค significantly restrict access to several popular social โmedia platforms for usersโ under the age of 16. โฃThe eSafety Commissioner has announced a โlist ofโ platforms โrequiring age verification, including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, X (formerly Twitter), Kick, and Threads.
The legislation, designed to enhance online safety for โchildren, mandatesโข that platforms with a significant โrisk of exposure to harmful content must verify the age of their users. Those failing to complyโ face substantial fines.Platforms are required to implement age-verification โขmeasures by February โ2024, โtho some have requested extensions.
Currently, platforms falling outside โฃof exempt classesโ – including messaging, email, voice โฃor video calling, onlineโข games, health, education, professional development, or services enabling information about products or services – are subject to theโฃ ban for users under 16.
Kick, an Australian competitor to Twitch, has beenโฃ added to the list of โคage-restricted platforms, alongside Twitch and roblox, which the eSafety Commission โขrecently suggested could also soon fall under the ban.Threads, a microblogging platform linked to Instagram, is also included, as access โrequires an existing Instagram โaccount.
The eSafety Commission has stated it will continue โto assess platforms and reinforce that exclusion from the ban โฃdoes not guarantee absolute safety. “As parents, โwe will need โtoโ continue being engaged in our children’sโฃ online lives,” the commission stated.
