Australia’s federal government has begun enforcing its Social Media Minimum Age regime, a regulatory framework designed to restrict social media access to users aged sixteen and over and supported by new guidance from the eSafety Commissioner.

The policy, enacted through amendments to the Online Safety Act, took effect on ten December two thousand twenty-five and requires age-restricted social media platforms to take ‘reasonable steps’ to prevent Australians under sixteen from creating or maintaining accounts.

The eSafety Commissioner has published comprehensive regulatory guidance to assist online platforms in meeting their obligations under the Social Media Minimum Age scheme.

The guidance outlines practical and principles-based approaches for compliance, focusing on technology, governance and documentation of provider efforts to establish and enforce age assurance measures while balancing privacy and operational considerations.

The documents, developed with input from stakeholders across industry, civil society and the research community, also clarify eSafety’s approach to monitoring and enforcement.

Under the new rules, a broad set of widely used services — including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, X, Threads, Reddit, Twitch and Kick — are classified as age-restricted social media platforms and must implement mechanisms to deter under-sixteen users, with potential penalties of up to forty-nine point five million Australian dollars for failure to take reasonable steps.

Platforms not meeting the criteria may be excluded from coverage.

The roll-out of the Social Media Minimum Age law has been accompanied by a national awareness campaign, ‘For the Good of Their Wellbeing,’ aimed at informing parents, carers and young people about the age requirements and promoting digital literacy.

Resources developed for the campaign include materials tailored for diverse communities, including First Nations families.

The framework also incorporates privacy protections for personal information collected as part of age assurance processes, overseen jointly by the eSafety Commissioner and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner to ensure compliance with the Privacy Act.

An independent review of the operation of the Social Media Minimum Age provisions is required within two years of commencement.

The policy has attracted international attention, with other nations considering similar online safety measures as part of broader debates on children’s wellbeing and technology regulation.