Australia's social media ban took effect on 10 December 2025. Age-restricted platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, X, YouTube, Reddit, Threads, Twitch and Kick must take reasonable steps to stop Australians under 16 from creating or keeping an account. There's no penalty for children or parents: the legal duty sits entirely with the platforms.
The eSafety Commissioner, which enforces the rules, is careful to call it a delay rather than a ban. Under-16s aren't breaking any law if they still have an account, and nobody gets reported to police. What changed is that the platforms now have to find those accounts, deactivate or remove them, and stop new ones being opened.
Below is what the law covers, which apps sit outside it, how age checks are meant to work, and the scams that have popped up around it.
What the law requires
The rules come from the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act, which changed Australia's Online Safety Act. It passed Parliament in November 2024, received Royal Assent in December 2024 and started on 10 December 2025.
eSafety lists four things it expects age-restricted platforms to do:
- Find existing accounts held by under-16s and deactivate or remove them.
- Stop under-16s opening new accounts.
- Block workarounds, including fake IDs, AI-generated faces, deepfakes and VPNs used to look like you're outside Australia.
- Give people a way to fix mistakes, so a 16 or 17 year old who's wrongly flagged can get back in.
Platforms are also expected to tell under-16s how to download their posts, photos, chats and contacts before an account goes, or soon after.
Which platforms are covered
A platform is age-restricted when its sole or significant purpose is online social interaction, people can connect with and interact with each other, people can post material, and it has a recommender feature or logged-in feature. eSafety's published view, confirmed again in March 2026, is that these ten are covered:
| Covered by the age restrictions | Not covered (eSafety's view) |
|---|---|
| Facebook, Instagram, Threads | Messenger, WhatsApp |
| TikTok, Snapchat, X | Discord, Roblox, Steam and Steam Chat |
| YouTube, Reddit | YouTube Kids, Pinterest |
| Twitch, Kick | GitHub, Google Classroom, LEGO Play |
Some services also told eSafety they consider themselves covered. Bluesky and Lemon8 apply a minimum age of 16 for Australian account holders, and dating and live-streaming services such as Tinder, Hinge, Yubo and BigoLive keep their own minimum age of 18. For parents setting up the apps that are still allowed, our guide to Instagram parental controls shows how supervision tools work.
The list isn't fixed. eSafety says a messaging or gaming app can move into the restrictions if the way people use it shifts towards social media features, so a service that's outside today could be inside later.
What's excluded and why
The legislative rules made by the Minister for Communications exclude services whose sole or primary purpose is:
- messaging, email, voice calling or video calling
- playing online games with other users
- sharing information about products or services
- professional networking or professional development
- education or health support, including school and healthcare communication tools
That's why LinkedIn-style professional networking and standalone messaging apps sit outside it, while a messaging feature inside an age-restricted app (say, DMs on Instagram) goes with the account.
How age checks work
This is the part most people get wrong. eSafety doesn't expect every Australian to prove their age. If a platform already has reliable signals that someone's over 16, such as an account that's existed since Facebook arrived in Australia in 2006, no further check is needed.
Where a check is needed, platforms can't rely on a date of birth typed at sign-up any more. They choose their own methods, which is why the steps differ from app to app. The rule that matters most:
- No platform can force you to use government ID. The law bans platforms from making government-issued ID or an accredited Digital ID the only option. They can offer it, but they must also offer a reasonable alternative.
- Platforms have to follow the Privacy Act, and information collected for an age check can only be used for other things, like marketing, in limited cases such as with your consent.
- Platforms can use location signals, like an Australian device or network, to spot under-16s using a VPN.
- International students under 16 who live in Australia can be flagged too, because the rule applies to people ordinarily resident here.
What under-16s can still do
Under-16s can still see public content that doesn't need a login. eSafety's own example is YouTube, where most videos can be watched without an account, and public Facebook pages for businesses and services. They can also keep using the excluded apps, such as WhatsApp, Messenger, Discord and Roblox.
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If a child's account is deactivated, eSafety advises saving their data first, because some platforms may delete accounts rather than pause them until the child turns 16.
Watch out for age-check scams
Scammers moved fast. eSafety warns about fake messages claiming to be from a platform, a verification company, a government department or the police. The giveaway is usually urgency and a request for a passport, licence, video selfie or login.
Two firm rules from eSafety: an under-16 can't be fined for having an account, so any demand for a fine is a scam, and anyone offering a fake ID or an already-verified account is almost certainly running a scam too. Go straight to the app's own Help or Support section instead of tapping a link. Our guide to spotting a myGov scam covers the same warning signs.
What it means if you run a business
If your customers include families or teenagers, a few things change in practice:
- Your public Facebook page and public YouTube videos can still be seen by under-16s without an account, so they're still worth keeping up to date.
- Follower counts on age-restricted apps may drop as under-16 accounts are removed. That's the law working, not your content failing.
- Don't build a campaign that relies on under-16s signing up, commenting or sharing on a covered platform. Email, your website and in-person channels aren't affected.
- If you run an online community with posting and recommendations, check eSafety's self-assessment guidance. Smaller services are judged on reasonable steps for their size, starting with a clear minimum age in your terms and a neutral age question at sign-up.
My advice: treat it like any platform change. Spread your reach across channels you control, so one rule change never takes your whole audience with it.
And if your audience includes American children, our COPPA guide explains the federal privacy rule.
Frequently asked questions
When did the Australian social media ban start?
It started on 10 December 2025. Age-restricted platforms must now take reasonable steps to stop Australians under 16 from creating or keeping accounts.
Is YouTube included in the social media ban?
Yes. YouTube accounts are covered, but under-16s can still watch most YouTube videos without logging in. YouTube Kids isn't covered.
Can parents give permission for an under-16 to have an account?
No. eSafety says the rules apply to all under-16s, so the platform has to take reasonable steps to stop them having accounts whatever the family decides.
Do under-16s or parents get fined?
No. There are no penalties for children or their families. Only the platforms can face penalties, so any message demanding a fine is a scam.
Must I show government ID to keep my account?
No. The law stops platforms forcing anyone to use government ID or a Digital ID. They must offer a reasonable alternative method.
