MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – Starting next week, social media platforms in Australia will be required to report monthly on the number of children’s accounts they close, as the country enforces a minimum age limit of 16, officials said Wednesday.
Platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube, and recently added Twitch could face fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) from Dec. 10 if they fail to take reasonable steps to remove accounts belonging to Australian users under 16. The Australian eSafety Commissioner will issue notices to the platforms on Dec. 11 requesting information about accounts removed, with monthly follow-ups for six months.
Communications Minister Anika Wells told the National Press Club of Australia that while age verification may take several days or weeks to implement accurately, platforms could face fines if systemic breaches are found. The eSafety regulator said courts could impose the maximum penalty for repeated violations.
Google confirmed that users under 16 in Australia would be signed out of YouTube starting Dec. 10 and lose access to account-based features like playlists. Age verification will rely on data from Google accounts and other signals. Google criticized the law, stating it misunderstands how young Australians use its platform and does not fulfill its promise to make children safer online.
Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, said suspected underage users would be removed starting Thursday. Users 16 and older who are mistakenly removed can verify their age through Yoti Age Verification by providing a government-issued ID or a video selfie.
The Sydney-based rights group Digital Freedom Project is seeking a High Court injunction to prevent the law from taking effect next week, although no court date has been set. Wells said the government intends to defend the law in the High Court, emphasizing that parents across Australia have asked for stricter protections for children online.
The move aligns with international trends: Malaysia plans to ban social media accounts for children under 16 starting in 2026, and the European Commission, France, Denmark, Greece, Romania, and New Zealand are also exploring minimum age requirements for online platforms.