From December 10, 2025, the ban on social media for children below 16 years will come into effect. Two more platforms confirmed to be impacted by that regulation are live-streaming platform Kick and messaging board platform Reddit.
Australia’s Communications Minister Anika Wells, on Wednesday, October 11, 2025, confirmed that popular social platforms Kick and Reddit will join TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, X, Facebook, and Instagram/Threads on the list of “age-restricted” platforms.
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Justifying the addition of Kick and Reddit to the list, the country’s eSafety Commission said their “sole or significant purpose is to enable online social interaction”. Under the new law, it is the responsibility of age-restricted platforms to find and deactivate existing accounts of users below 16 years and to prevent them from creating new accounts.
The reason for the law, according to the information provided by the eSafety Commission, is to “allow more time for young people to build digital literacy and greater resilience”.
“Being logged into an account increases the exposure under-16s have to design features that encourage them to spend more time on screens, while serving up content that can harm their health and wellbeing.”
Discord, LEGO Play, Roblox, and Steam will not be age-restricted, according to eSafety, although the list will continue to be updated. Ms Wells said she had previously met with the affected social media platforms to make them understand the seriousness of the implementation. Platforms that fail to comply may be fined up to $49.5 million.
“eSafety has assessed eight platforms as requiring age-restriction but their assessments will be ongoing and this list is dynamic,” she said. “We aren’t chasing perfection, we are chasing a meaningful difference.”
Kick’s main competitor, Twitch, has been surprisingly exempted from the list. While the ban is not targeting social gaming platforms, Roblox has been slammed with several lawsuits concerning child safety. The backlash in August attracted over 130,000 signatures calling for the CEO to resign.
As eSafety updates its list of age-restricted platforms, it will be interesting to see what other big names will join the nine already restricted apps.
Do you agree with the Australian government’s reason for blocking under-16-year-olds from age-restricted platforms? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.
