Australia will punish social media users up to $33 million
A minister stated on Wednesday that social media platforms will be required to report monthly on the number of children’s accounts they close once Australia starts enforcing its 16-year age limit next week. Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, and YouTube could incur fines reaching up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) starting Dec. 10 if they do not take appropriate measures to eliminate accounts belonging to Australian children under the age of 16, and less than two weeks ago, the livestreaming service Twitch was included on the list of age-restricted platforms. The Australian eSafety Commissioner is set to issue notices to the 10 platforms on December 11, requesting details regarding the number of accounts removed, with monthly notices continuing for six months. The government acknowledges that age assurance could take several days or weeks to be conducted fairly and accurately, Communications Minister Anika Wells stated at the National Press Club of Australia, but if eSafety identifies systemic breaches of the law, platforms will face fines, and the regulator noted that a court would impose the maximum penalty if multiple violations occurred.
On Wednesday, Google announced that starting December 10, anyone in Australia under the age of 16 will be signed out of its platform YouTube, losing features exclusive to account holders, including playlists. Google would ascertain the ages of YouTube account holders by analyzing personal data found in linked Google accounts and various other indicators, and stated, “We have consistently said this rushed legislation misunderstands our platform, the way young Australians use it and, most importantly, it does not fulfill its promise to make kids safer online.” Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, announced that suspected young children will be removed from these platforms starting Thursday, and added that account holders aged 16 and older who were erroneously removed can verify their age through Yoti Age Verification using government-issued identification or a video selfie.
The Sydney-based rights group Digital Freedom Project is seeking an injunction from the High Court to halt the law from coming into effect next week, though as of Wednesday, a date for the court hearing had yet to be established. “Over the coming months, we will fight to defend this law in the High Court because parents right across Australia asked for government to step up,” Wells said. The government emphasized that the monthly reporting system is intended to ensure transparency and encourage compliance across digital platforms during the law’s rollout, while regulators continue to monitor potential systemic failures.
In a significant announcement last month, the Malaysian government declared its intention to prohibit social media accounts for children under the age of 16 starting in 2026. Wells stated that the European Commission, along with France, Denmark, Greece, Romania, and New Zealand, were also interested in establishing a minimum age for social media, indicating that Australia’s age-limit enforcement could influence global regulatory trends as more governments explore stricter online protections for children.
