The Federal Government is looking at all social media platforms to assess which ones should be added to the under 16s ban. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
More social media platforms have been added to the under 16s ban as the Federal Government signals its seriousness about the new law that kicks in on 10 December.
Messaging board Reddit and live-streaming service Kick are now on the list of platforms off-limits to kids.
Other services are also being considered, but as it stands nine social media platforms will be affected by the ban.
Reddit and Kick join Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, X, Facebook, Instagram and Threads on the age-restricted list.
Communications Minister Anika Wells said the tech companies faced fines of up to $49.5 million if they did not block children under 16 from their social media platforms.
“We have met with several of the social media platforms in the past month,” Ms Wells said.
“They understand there is no excuse for failure to implement this law.”
She said other platforms could be included.
“These are definitely not set and forget laws,” Ms Wells said.
“There will be room for movement as we move into 10 December.”
Streaming platform Twitch could be the next one, but Bluesky and Yubo are also being closely scrutinised.
eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, said work would continue in determining which platforms had a “sole or significant purpose” to enable online social interaction.
Her agency is looking at each platform to assess them against the requirements of the legislation.
“In order to be consistent and fair, we assessed each platform or service on its merits against the criteria in the legislative rules,” Ms Inman Grant said.
“This is a really potent solution, but not the only one in terms of how we’re trying to keep the online world safer for children…
“We’re using other tools in our arsenal. This is a dynamic list and will always change.”
She said some of the companies assessed were “very much on the line” and there would likely be more added to the ban.
One possible inclusion – Roblox – was singled out last week by AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett during her National Press Club address in which she described the online gaming platform as being used by “sadistic men” to target and groom young girls.
Ms Inman Grant said Roblox was “on the line” and could be included in the ban because some elements of the platform were of concern.
She has directed Roblox to take steps to make the platform safer for young users by preventing adults from messaging children through it without parental consent.
“We will be watching as well and if they start rolling out features that look more like they’re becoming a social media company than an online gaming company,” she said.
“Then we will seek to capture them.”
The government is also working with platforms on ways to counter artificial intelligence being used to work around age-verification requirements.
Ms Inman Grant has visited Silicon Valley and spoken to the tech companies who have all been cooperative, according to the e-safety Commissioner.
“We know generative AI, a mask or graphics from platforms can be used to spoof AI or age-verification systems and we’ve given them very specific specifications as to how we think they should tackle it,” she said.
“And they’ve given us comfort that this is something they can do and what they will do in these cases.”
During Question Time in the House of Representatives on Wednesday (5 November), Ms Wells said Australia’s world-leading social media ban was the envy of other governments, some of which had already set in motion similar bans.
Ms Wells released the regulatory guidelines for the social media ban in September, saying there would be no excuse for non-compliance.
Social media platforms will not be required to verify the ages of all their users when the ban on children’s use comes into effect. But they will need to show they’re doing everything necessary to remove the accounts of users under 16.
Key expectations for platforms include detecting and deactivating or removing existing underage accounts with care and clear communication; and preventing re-registration or circumvention by underage users whose accounts have been deactivated or removed.
They will also be required to take a layered approach to age assurance to minimise end-user friction, minimise the risk of error rates and provide user choice.
Reliance on self-declaration alone will not be considered sufficient to meet the platform’s legal obligation.
And they must continuously monitor and improve systems to track effectiveness of their age-assurance practices.
