Overview
- Major services including TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, X, YouTube, Reddit, Threads, Kick and Twitch are designated under the law, and Meta has already begun deactivating under-16 accounts.
- eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant says removals will roll out over time and monthly reporting to her office begins December 11, signaling that underage accounts will not disappear overnight.
- Two teenagers backed by the Digital Freedom Project are challenging the law in the High Court on implied freedom grounds, as New South Wales and South Australia join the federal government to defend it.
- Polling shows broad public support at about 67%, but only 29% of parents plan to fully enforce the ban and just 35% believe platforms will successfully block underage users.
- Platforms plan layered age checks using IDs, facial or voice analysis and behavioral signals, prompting privacy and exclusion concerns, while EU institutions and several countries are preparing similar measures.