Meta, TikTok Among Those Subject to Australian Social Media Age Restrictions
Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube, Kick and Reddit meet the criteria for social media platforms that must comply with Australia's social media age restrictions starting Dec. 10, the eSafety Commissioner announced Wednesday.
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Australia's eSafety expects all nine companies currently assessed as meeting the criteria for age restriction to take reasonable steps to prevent Australian children younger than 16 from having accounts, it said. It's engaged in talks with the platforms about compliance obligations and its planned enforcement approach, it added.
Failure to comply with the rules could include civil penalties of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars ($32 million) and other enforcement actions, the authority said.
Platforms not currently deemed to meet the criteria are Discord. GitHub, LEGO Play, Roblox, Steam and Steam Chat, Google Classroom, Messenger, WhatsApp and YouTube Kids, eSafety said.
The authority also notified the broader online industry that all platforms must continually assess whether they meet the definition of an age-restricted social media platform, particularly when they add features or change their primary usage. Those that meet the definitions must take reasonable steps to ensure users younger than 16 don't hold an account.
"Due to the fast-changing nature of technology, eSafety has been clear there will not be a static list of companies that are age-restricted," it said. "Ultimately, all online platforms should be building less harmful, age-appropriate experiences through safety by design," said eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant.
"Where they are not, we will apply the Online Safety Act’s mandatory codes and standards and supplement it with robust prevention and education resources for Australians," she added. To help people prepare for the coming changes, eSafety published a package of resources and webinars, it noted.