Overview
- Taking effect at midnight on December 10, the law bars under‑16s from holding accounts on ten major platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, YouTube, X, Reddit and Twitch, with messaging apps, email and many games such as WhatsApp and Roblox outside its scope for now.
- Companies are deploying age checks ranging from selfies and facial analysis to IDs, bank data and behavior signals, with regulators expecting early errors and circumvention as the eSafety Commission begins monthly compliance checks.
- Snapchat, Instagram and others have started freezing or deleting accounts suspected to belong to under‑16s, affecting hundreds of thousands of users; X had not publicly confirmed plans but is expected by the government to comply, while Bluesky opted in voluntarily despite not being on the list.
- Early rollout reports cite successful workarounds of facial‑age estimation and a likely cat‑and‑mouse phase, as platforms face penalties of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars for inadequate age verification.
- A High Court challenge brought by the Digital Freedom Project and two 15‑year‑olds argues the law restricts young people’s communication rights, as international attention grows with Denmark, Malaysia and the EU considering similar minimum‑age rules and Australian polling showing broad support but doubts about effectiveness.