Australia will extend its under-16 social media ban to include Reddit and Kick, effective 10 December. Platforms that fail to prevent under-16s from opening accounts could face fines up to A$50 million (about £25m). The eSafety Commissioner will enforce the rule and monitor effects on children's sleep, offline interaction and online activity. Critics — including over 140 academics — say a rigid age cap is a blunt tool, while some international leaders have praised Australia’s approach.
Australia Widens Under-16 Social Media Ban to Include Reddit and Kick
Australia will extend its under-16 social media ban to include Reddit and Kick, effective 10 December. Platforms that fail to prevent under-16s from opening accounts could face fines up to A$50 million (about £25m). The eSafety Commissioner will enforce the rule and monitor effects on children's sleep, offline interaction and online activity. Critics — including over 140 academics — say a rigid age cap is a blunt tool, while some international leaders have praised Australia’s approach.
20:07, 05.11.2025Technology
Australia widens under-16 social media ban to include Reddit and Kick
Australia announced on Wednesday that it will extend its legal ban on social media accounts for under-16s to cover two additional services. From 10 December, people under 16 will be prohibited from opening accounts on the message-board Reddit and the livestreaming platform Kick.
Communications Minister Anika Wells said the two platforms will join Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X and YouTube under a world-first legal duty for platforms whose "sole or significant purpose is to enable online social interaction" to close accounts belonging to younger Australians. Platforms that do not take reasonable steps to exclude under-16s could face fines of up to A$50 million (about £25m).
"We have met with several of the social media platforms in the past month so that they understand there is no excuse for failure to implement this law," Ms Wells said. "Online platforms use technology to target children; we are asking them to use that same technology to keep children safe online."
Australia's eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, will be responsible for enforcing the ban. She said she plans to work with academic researchers to monitor how effective the measure is, including whether children sleep more, interact more offline or change their levels of online activity.
The legislation is attracting international attention. In September, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen told a UN forum she was "inspired" by Australia’s move to legislate an age limit for social media access.
Critics argue the rule is a blunt instrument. More than 140 academics specialising in technology and child welfare wrote to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last year opposing a blanket age cap, calling it "too blunt an instrument to address risks effectively." Privacy advocates have also warned that verifying ages could affect user privacy, a concern the government says it will seek to minimise while enforcing the law.
This step marks a significant moment in global efforts to regulate social media's impact on young people, prompting a wider debate about how best to balance child protection, privacy and practical enforcement.