Australia’s eSafety Commissioner has designated Twitch as age-restricted under new legislation, while Pinterest received exemption.

The online safety watchdog has informed the livestreaming platform that it qualifies as an age-restricted social media platform under the country’s Social Media Minimum Age legislation, requiring the service to prevent users under 16 from maintaining accounts. The designation takes effect December 10, 2025.

eSafety assessed Twitch as meeting the criteria for age restriction because the platform has the sole or significant purpose of enabling online social interaction through features designed to encourage user engagement, including livestreaming content. Twitch allows users, including Australian children, to interact with others in relation to posted content.

A Twitch spokesperson confirmed the platform will no longer permit Australians under 16 to create accounts starting December 10. Existing accounts for users under 16 will be deactivated on January 9, 2026.

eSafety informed Pinterest it does not consider the service subject to age restrictions because it does not currently meet the criteria for an age-restricted social media platform. While Pinterest enables some online social interaction, eSafety determined this is not the platform’s significant purpose. The service is more commonly used by individuals collating images for inspiration and idea curation.

Complete List of Restricted Platforms

From December 10, nine previously announced platforms join Twitch in requiring reasonable steps to prevent Australian children under 16 from having accounts: Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, and YouTube. YouTube Kids and Google Classroom remain exempt from the restrictions.

Meta, TikTok, and Snap confirmed in parliamentary testimony they will implement the ban despite opposing the legislation. Meta plans to contact approximately 450,000 underage account holders across Instagram and Facebook, offering options to either delete their data or store it until they turn 16.

TikTok identified 200,000 underage Australian accounts, while Snap counted 440,000. Both companies outlined similar approaches to notifying affected users.

The platforms will employ automated behavior-tracking software to identify potentially underage users who claim to be over 16. Meta and TikTok indicated they will refer users incorrectly flagged as underage to third-party age-estimation tools.

Assessment Process and Penalties

eSafety has assessed platforms against criteria set out in the Social Media Minimum Age legislation and the Minister for Communications’ legislative rules over the past few months. The watchdog released a self-assessment tool to help industry understand compliance requirements and remains in ongoing discussions with platforms about their obligations and planned approaches.

Although courts ultimately determine whether a service qualifies as an age-restricted social media platform, eSafety undertook these assessments to assist Australian families and industry in preparing for the December 10 deadline.

The Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 establishes fines of up to AU$49.5 million (~US$32 million) for platforms that fail to prevent underage users from creating or accessing accounts.

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