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eSmart 

Social media age restrictions

The Australian Government is protecting young Australians at a critical stage of their development, through world-first social media age restrictions.

 

From 10 December 2025, age-restricted social media platforms will have to take reasonable steps to prevent Australians under the age of 16 from creating or keeping an account.

The restrictions aim to protect young Australians from pressures and risks that users can be exposed to while logged in to social media accounts. These come from design features that encourage them to spend more time on screens, while also serving up content that can harm their health and wellbeing.

 

While no formal assessments have been made, the age restrictions are likely to apply to Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube, among other platforms.

 

More generally, age restrictions will apply to social media platforms that meet three specific conditions, unless they are excluded based on criteria set in out in legislative rules made by the Minister for Communications in July 2025.

 

The conditions for age restriction are:

  • the sole purpose, or a significant purpose, of the service is to enable online social interaction between two or more end-users
  • the service allows end-users to link to, or interact with, some or all of the other end-users

  • the service allows end-users to post material on the service.

     

Online gaming and standalone messaging apps are among a number of types of services that have been excluded under the legislative rules. However, messaging services that have social-media style features which allow users to interact in other ways apart from messaging may be included in the age restrictions, as well as messaging features accessed through age-restricted social media accounts.

Find out the facts about the social media 'ban' or delay

It’s not a ban, it’s a delay to having accounts. 

This means there will be no penalties for under-16s who access an age-restricted social media platform, or for their parents or carers. However, age-restricted social media platforms may face penalties if they don’t take reasonable steps to prevent under-16s from having accounts.

Details about how the age restrictions will operate and other relevant information will be developed throughout 2025. We will provide answers to frequently asked questions on our FAQ page and throughout the eSafety website. The information will help Australians – including under-16s, parents, carers and educators – understand and prepare for the change.

Go to FAQ

Key measures under the new law

Mandatory minimum age

Age-restricted social media platforms will have to take reasonable steps to prevent Australians under 16 years old from having accounts on their platforms.

New penalties

A court can order civil penalties for platforms that don’t take reasonable steps to prevent underage users from having accounts on their platforms. This includes court-imposed fines of up to 150,000 penalty units for corporations – currently equivalent to a total of $49.5 million AUD.

Key components

  • Following advice from the eSafety CommissionerExternal link, the Minister for Communications has made legislative rulesExternal link about platforms that are excluded from the age restrictions.
  • The Minister may also make legislative rules specifying kinds of information that must not be collected (in addition to the information restrictions already set out in the Online Safety Act) – if so, the eSafety Commissioner and the Information Commissioner would make independent recommendations.
  • The Minister has specified that the new law will take effect on 10 December 2025.
  • Ahead of the requirements taking effect, eSafety is formulating guidelines for reasonable steps that social media platforms will have to take to prevent age-restricted users having accounts. eSafety's deep consultation on these guidelines started in July 2025.
  • eSafety may obtain information from service providers about compliance, and may enforce compliance.
  • Within two years after the day the minimum age requirement takes effect, the Minister must initiate an independent review of the operation of the new law.

Consultation

eSafety is consulting widely on the best way to implement the social media age restrictions for under 16s.

 

We have met with industry, civil society organisations, academics and researchers, and the education sector (including eSafety’s National Online Safety Education Council and Trusted eSafety Providers). We have also spoken with children and young people directly, as well as parent and carer organisations.

 

We have consulted people with expertise in the following areas:

  • the use of age assurance technologies and implementation considerations
  • the possible impacts on users of age-restricted social media platforms, including in relation to protective factors that support and build resilience for young people and families, as well as possible impacts on privacy and digital rights
  • possible circumvention or unintended consequences of the age restrictions and how to reduce these

  • how to communicate effectively about the changes to the community, including to young people, parents, carers, educators and frontline workers.

     

Find out more about Social media age restrictions consultation.

 

In addition, eSafety is already working with the key platforms where we know Australian children are present in large numbers, and where there are features associated with risks to children. By working with platforms now, eSafety is taking steps to ensure they are getting ready for the social media age restrictions.

 

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SchoolTV

Because parenting doesn’t come with instructions, SchoolTV is a wellbeing resource that can support you in the challenges relating to modern-day parenting.

 

This award-winning resource helps build relationships, foster connections, enable understanding and break down barriers to navigate a pathway towards better mental health and wellbeing for young people. It can assist in starting conversations on topics that are sometimes awkward or difficult to tackle.

 

St Laurence O'Toole Primary School subscribes to SchoolTV and anybody can access their invaluable resources via our website at www.stlleongatha.catholic.edu.au

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