Australia Adds Twitch to Under-16 Social Media Ban
Australia has expanded its upcoming under-16 social media ban to include Twitch, the Amazon-owned livestreaming platform widely used by gamers.
Beginning December 10, Twitch will be legally required to block new accounts from users under 16, while existing accounts belonging to users under 16 will be deactivated by January 9.
Twitch now joins Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Reddit, Threads, X, and other major platforms already listed under Australia’s world-first social media age restriction law.
The eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, said Twitch was added because its primary purpose is “online social interaction,” allowing children to livestream, chat, and engage directly with content creators, the very environment the government says exposes young people to significant “pressures and risks,” including harmful content and unsafe interactions.
While Twitch’s own policies already prohibit users under 13 and require parental permission for teens below the age of adulthood, the new law goes further by mandating strict age verification and platform-wide enforcement. Companies that fail to comply could face fines of up to $49.5 million.
Pinterest was excluded from the ban, with regulators noting that its core function, collecting and curating inspiration boards, is not centred on social interaction.
Tech companies have not yet revealed exactly how the ban will be enforced, but options could involve government-issued IDs, facial or voice recognition, or age-inference tools based on user behaviour. Meta has already begun pre-emptively closing accounts belonging to under-16s ahead of the official rollout.
Australia’s move marks one of the strongest global efforts yet to curb children’s exposure to online risks, and has triggered global debate about privacy, safety, and the future of youth access to digital spaces.
This development reinforces the Right of the Child to Protection from Harmful Online Content and Exploitation, as outlined under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which requires governments to safeguard children from dangers to their physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
