Overview
- The law took effect on Dec. 10 and compels 10 major services — including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, X, Reddit, Threads, Twitch and Kick — to block under‑16 accounts or risk fines up to A$49.5 million.
- eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said notices will go to the targeted platforms on Thursday demanding details of how age restrictions are being enforced and how many accounts have been closed, with a preliminary public update due this month.
- Early impacts include large-scale account removals — the government cited more than 200,000 TikTok deactivations — as teenagers posted farewell messages and some initially evaded detection while platforms deploy AI age‑inference, selfie checks and optional ID.
- Activity shifted quickly to unlisted services, with downloads of Lemon8, Yope and other alternatives jumping, and VPN demand in Australia rising 103% on Dec. 7 compared with the prior 28‑day average, according to Top10VPN.
- Tech firms say they will comply but argue the policy could push teens to less regulated spaces; legal challenges are being explored, and governments from the EU to New Zealand, Denmark, Malaysia and Indonesia are studying Australia’s model.