Online Safety Amendment Targets Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube for Regulation

Australia’s enforcement of social media age restrictions continues to face significant challenges, with recent reports indicating that despite a nationwide ban on users under 16 accessing major platforms, a substantial proportion of adolescents remain active on these services.

The Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024, which came into effect on 11 December 2024, mandates that platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), Reddit, Threads, Twitch and Kick implement measures to prevent users under the age of 16 from creating or maintaining accounts. The legislation was passed by the Australian Parliament and received royal assent on 10 December 2024.

As of March 2026, the eSafety Commissioner has expressed significant concerns about the compliance of major platforms with the age restriction requirements. According to eSafety’s official position, the services identified as age-restricted under the Act include Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, Twitch, X, YouTube, Kick, and Reddit, among others.

Recent reporting indicates that despite the legislative ban, approximately 70% of adolescents in Australia continue to use these restricted social media platforms. This figure highlights a persistent gap between regulatory intent and real-world enforcement, raising questions about the effectiveness of current age verification and access control mechanisms employed by the platforms.

The Australian government has acknowledged that Meta (which owns Facebook and Instagram), Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube are not fully complying with the requirements set forth in the Online Safety Amendment Act. This non-compliance has prompted ongoing scrutiny from regulators and potential legal challenges, including a case currently before the High Court brought by the Digital Freedom Project contesting the validity of the legislation.

Platforms subject to the Act are required to take reasonable steps to prevent underage users from accessing their services. However, the continued high usage rates among minors suggest that existing age-gating technologies and moderation practices may be insufficient to meet the legislative standard. The eSafety Commissioner’s office maintains oversight of compliance efforts and has signaled that further action may be necessary to ensure adherence to the law.

The situation underscores the ongoing tension between child protection objectives in digital policy and the technical and behavioral realities of platform usage among young people. As the High Court prepares to hear the legal challenge to the Act, the enforcement landscape for social media age restrictions in Australia remains uncertain.