Overview
- Australia’s law took effect at midnight local time, requiring major platforms to delete or block accounts of users under 16 or face fines of up to A$49.5 million.
- The government said it will request official deactivation figures from companies and monitor compliance monthly after early data showed large-scale removals on TikTok.
- The prohibition covers services such as Instagram, Facebook, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat, Reddit, Kick, Twitch and X, while messaging apps like WhatsApp and Messenger remain outside the ban.
- Companies are deploying age checks, including AI-based estimation and document verification, and implementation timelines vary, with Meta already removing accounts, Snapchat suspending immediately, YouTube auto-disconnecting on Dec. 10 and Twitch delaying until Jan. 9.
- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese framed the measure as a child-safety step, X publicly opposes it on free-speech grounds, and governments including New Zealand and Malaysia are weighing similar policies.