Starting December 10, 2025, children under 16 in Australia will no longer be able to create or maintain accounts on social media platforms such as YouTube, nor engage in interactions such as uploading content, commenting, or reacting.

This will come as a result of the Australian Parliament’s approval of the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024, an amendment to the Online Safety Act 2021. Although YouTube was initially considered for exemption, the government reversed its decision following recommendations from the eSafety Commissioner and ultimately included it among the restricted platforms.

Platforms will be required to implement reasonable measures to verify the age of all users in Australia—not just minors—and prevent under-16s from accessing or maintaining accounts. Non-compliance could result in fines of up to A$49.5 million per violation.

A variety of approaches are being considered: from facial age estimation (AI-based age assessment), cross-checking with official documents (ID), verification via mobile operators or banks, to inferences based on user activity history. The regulation requires that official identification not be the only verification method.

Challenges and concerns
Recent trials revealed significant flaws, especially for individuals near the age threshold of 16. For example, 15-year-olds were sometimes misclassified as adults, and facial recognition systems showed regional and gender biases. Moreover, if technology fails, systems may request official identification, raising serious concerns about privacy, data storage, and the risk of leaks.

Regulatory impact and lobbying
The government faces pressure from multiple fronts. While seeking to balance child protection with digital rights, platforms such as Meta and Google have voiced concerns over compliance costs and privacy and may even engage in lobbying campaigns during a parliamentary inquiry scheduled to conclude on October 31, 2025.

In this way, Australia positions itself as a pioneer in digital regulation by restricting access for under-16s to platforms such as YouTube. However, implementation faces significant technical, ethical, and regulatory challenges.