Overview
- Australia’s age-ban law took effect on Wednesday for roughly ten major platforms, requiring effective age verification with fines of up to A$49.5 million for serious breaches.
- Reddit filed a High Court appeal arguing the measure is misapplied to its forum-style service and warning that mandated verification could be intrusive and insecure for all users.
- The company contends outright bans will be ineffective and says minors may be better protected through accounts with safety settings enabled.
- The government presents the policy as a mental-health safeguard, with the eSafety regulator requesting before-and-after counts of under-16 accounts and the prime minister acknowledging enforcement will be complex.
- Early responses include TikTok disabling about 200,000 accounts, Meta cautioning the rule could push teens to less regulated spaces, and UNICEF urging design and moderation improvements over blanket restrictions.