Inclusion Update

New Social Media Minimum Age Laws – Coming into Effect 10 December 2025

From 10 December 2025, new Australian laws will require social media platforms to take reasonable steps to prevent children under 16 years of age from creating or maintaining accounts. This change, introduced under the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024, shifts the responsibility for age verification from parents and young people to the platforms themselves. Companies that fail to comply may face significant penalties.

These rules primarily target platforms designed for open social interaction, while services such as gaming platforms or private messaging apps are generally excluded.

According to the eSafety Commissioner, the aim of the legislation is to give young people more time to develop emotional, social and digital skills before being exposed to the pressures of social media. Research continues to highlight concerns such as sleep disruption, online manipulation and exposure to harmful or age-inappropriate content.

Australia will be the first country to introduce a nationwide ban restricting children under 16 from having accounts on major social media platforms. Importantly, parents will not be able to provide consent for their under-16 children to create accounts on these platforms.

Platforms affected by the ban include:

• Facebook

• Instagram

• Snapchat

• TikTok

• X (formerly Twitter)

• YouTube

• Threads

• Reddit

• Kick

   

Children under 16 will still be able to view content on certain sites, such as YouTube and Reddit, but they will not be permitted to create accounts, comment, or upload content.

Platforms that will remain fully accessible to users under 16 include:

• GitHub

• Google Classroom

• LEGO Play

• Roblox

• Steam and Steam Chat

• YouTube Kids

   

Messaging services such as Messenger and WhatsApp are also excluded from the ban.

Popular streaming and community platforms Discord and Twitch are not included in the restrictions at this stage, despite allowing user interaction and content sharing.

The eSafety Commissioner has emphasised that the list of included and excluded platforms is not yet final, and further amendments or exemptions may be made before the laws come into effect.

Please refer to the eSafety website below for more information