Overview
- The nationwide rule in force since December 10 bars under‑16s from major platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, X, Reddit, YouTube and Twitch, with exemptions for gaming services, messaging apps like WhatsApp, and certain education and health tools.
- eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant called the rollout bumpy and cited about 440,000 Snapchat accounts affected and more than 200,000 TikTok deactivations, alongside hundreds of thousands on Instagram and Facebook.
- Implementation remains uneven as many minors bypass checks using VPNs, facial-age tricks, older siblings’ verification and even fake beards to fool scanners.
- Public sentiment skews supportive yet wary of efficacy, with polling showing roughly two‑thirds backing the ban and a smaller majority expecting it to work, while parents report both reduced screen time and persistent access.
- Canberra is preparing broader age‑verification for search, porn sites, games and AI chatbots, and Malaysia will pilot stricter under‑16 safeguards from January in a test phase informed by Australia’s experience.