Everything you need to know about the under-16s social media ban in Australia

A streaming platform popular with gamers has become the latest platform to be banned for Australians under the age of 16, ahead of December 10.

A streaming platform popular with gamers has become the latest platform to be banned for Australians under the age of 16, ahead of December 10.

eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant has revealed that Twitch would join Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and others on the list of age-restricted social media sites.

“Twitch is a platform most commonly used for live streaming or posting content that enables users, including Australian children, to interact with others in relation to the content posted,” a statement posted to the eSafety website said.

The law, which comes into effect from December 10, is designed to protect children from the potential mental health risks, cyber-bullying, inappropriate content, and addictive behaviours associated with social media use at a young age.

The new legislation was prompted by News Corp’s Let Them Be Kids campaign.

With the ban less than two months away, many parents, teens, and social media users are left wondering exactly how it will work and which platforms are affected.

Here’s everything you need to know.

A new ad on the government's looming social media ban has been released.

What is the Australian social media ban?

Australia’s new Online Safety (Social Media Age Restrictions) Act 2025 will ban children under 16 from creating accounts on major social media platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, and X.

What are the penalties for social media companies that don’t comply?

The law requires platforms to take “reasonable steps” to prevent underage users, with fines of up to $49.5 million for platforms failing to comply.

When will Australia’s social media ban come into effect?

Australia’s new Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 sets a minimum age of 16 for having an account on major social media platforms.

Children on Instagram, Facebook and Threads will start losing access to their accounts from December 4 – a week before Australia’s world-leading laws come into effect.

Under Australia’s world-leading social media age laws, from December 10 platforms need to take reasonable steps to keep under-16s off their platform – but Meta says it is aiming to have all young users off its platform by then.

Meta will start contacting users it understands to be 13-15 and telling them via in-app messages, email and text that they will soon lose access to their accounts.

They will be told they can download and save their posts, messages and Reels and update their contact details so they can easily reactivate their accounts when they turn 16, or opt to delete their accounts.

Children on TikTok and Snapchat will have their content archived and their accounts frozen from mid-December.

What sites and apps are affected?

The government has identified the following as “age-restricted social media platforms”:

• TikTok
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Snapchat
• X (formerly Twitter)
• YouTube
• Reddit
• Kick
• Twitch
• Threads

Children on Snapchat will have their content archived and their accounts frozen from mid-December. Picture: Getty Images

Children on TikTok will have their content archived and their accounts frozen from mid-December. Picture: AFP

Are gaming platforms like Roblox included in the ban?

Online gaming and streaming platforms such as Roblox and Steam are still under review if they will be exempt from the ban.

Are messaging platforms like Discord or Messenger included in the ban?

Messaging apps like WhatsApp, Messenger, and Messenger Kids are expected to be exempt from Australia’s new under-16 social media ban, as they’re classed as private communication tools rather than public networking platforms.

However, Discord remains under review, with regulators considering whether its public servers and community channels make it function more like social media.

Telegram and Signal are also being assessed but are likely to remain outside the ban for now.

What do the social media companies have to do?

Under the new guidelines, social media companies must take “reasonable steps” — using a “multilayered waterfall approach” — to stop children under 16 from having accounts on their platforms.

Examples of these steps include detecting and deactivating underage accounts and preventing users from creating new profiles after being removed. Platforms won’t be required to use any specific technologies, including those trialled in recent age-assurance tests.

They also can’t rely solely on self-declared ages and must continually review and improve their systems to ensure ongoing compliance.

What age verification will be needed?

Social media companies won’t be required to verify the age of every single user, as blanket checks have been ruled “unreasonable.” They also can’t demand government ID as the only way to prove someone’s age, and must offer practical alternatives while taking a data-minimisation approach.

Meta has now outlined how it plans to comply, saying it will rely on age-estimation systems that carry a “margin of error,” and will request additional information when users need to be formally age-verified. Anyone mistakenly flagged as under 16 will be able to prove their age via a video selfie or government ID submitted through a secure third-party site. To prevent loopholes, anyone attempting to change their age from under 16 to over 16 will also be required to verify.

Platforms are not expected to store personal data gathered during age checks — compliance will focus on their systems and processes, not individual user records. And underage users cannot be automatically ported to alternative apps (for example, Facebook to Messenger Kids) without explicit opt-in.

How tech giants implement these rules will be closely watched by other countries considering similar laws.

What happens if underage people do access these sites?

If underage people access social media sites after a ban, they will not face penalties; the responsibility falls entirely on the social media platforms to enforce the ban and face fines for noncompliance.

Social media companies won’t have to verify the age of every user, as blanket age checks have been deemed “unreasonable.”

What happens to existing accounts for users under 16?

Underage users on Snapchat and TikTok will be able to archive their existing posts as part of the process of freezing these accounts, the platforms confirmed on Tuesday. Teen TikTok users will have the choice to deactivate their account, suspend it, or fully delete it.

Snapchat will make a “Download my Data” tool available to teen users, which vice president Jennifer Stout said would “secure photos and communications before accounts are disabled and lost”.

How to save data before accounts are deactivated

Ella Doyle, director and social media specialist at Social Cut agency, said under 16-year-olds should move quickly to secure their data, as many platforms are expected to begin automatic account restrictions once the ban comes into effect.

“Go through your account and decide what you want to keep. Whether it’s personal photos, videos or messages, take time to choose what matters,” Ms Doyle said.

“Use the platform’s ‘Download your data’ or ‘Archive’ option where available. If not, manually save important content to a secure place such as cloud storage or an external drive.

“Make sure you know your login details and keep them safe in case you need to retrieve anything later.”

Read the full advice here.

Why is an age limit needed?

The government says the age limit is needed to protect children from the harms of social media.

Research has linked heavy or early social media use to issues such as anxiety, depression, body image concerns, online bullying, and exposure to inappropriate or addictive content.

Supporters argue that many platforms were never designed for young teens and that stronger safeguards are necessary to prevent companies from collecting children’s data or targeting them with ads.

The age limit is also intended to give children more time to develop emotionally and socially before engaging with online environments that can expose them to adult material, misinformation or predatory behaviour.

Do other countries have similar rules?

While other countries have age restrictions for social media, Australia is taking a world-first step with a nationwide minimum age of 16 for holding accounts.

In the US, UK, Canada, and New Zealand, the minimum is typically 13, while in South Korea parental approval is required for under-14s.

The EU generally requires parental consent for under-16s, though some member states allow sign-ups from 13.

What sets Australia apart is that the law focuses on account access itself, not just data collection, and places the responsibility squarely on platforms to block underage users.

Last month, the Danish government announced it will follow Australia’s lead with plans to implement a social media age limit for children.

Could there be problems?

Some critics have warned the policy could be difficult to enforce and may limit young people’s ability to connect, learn, and express themselves online.

Originally published as Everything you need to know about the under-16s social media ban in Australia