Reddit added to list of platforms facing teen social media ban

Australia's federal government has formally notified Reddit that it will be treated as an age-restricted platform under Australia’s incoming social media minimum age laws, joining Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, X, YouTube, Threads and Kick.

From 10 December, those platforms will be required to take “reasonable steps” to prevent users under 16 holding accounts, or face penalties of up to $49.5 million. eSafety flagged the list will remain fluid as platforms evolve and new services emerge.

Notably, Discord, Roblox, WhatsApp, Messenger and YouTube Kids are not included in the initial group - a reminder that the ban targets platforms whose significant purpose is enabling social interaction, rather than all youth-used environments.

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said the shift is designed to give young people “valuable time to learn and grow, free of powerful, unseen forces of harmful and deceptive design features,” while acknowledging the transition will be "significant" for some young people.

“We recognise this transition will be significant,” Inman Grant said. “We will continue to take a whole of ecosystem approach, but we want to reinforce that just because a service is excluded, it does not mean it is absolutely safe. As parents, we will need to continue being engaged in our children’s online lives.”

Due to the fast-changing nature of technology, eSafety said there will not be a static list of companies that are age-restricted.

Instead, eSafety will provide updated advice to the public on current assessments and its approach to compliance and enforcement on its website. When new platforms emerge or existing ones evolve to the extent that their purposes change, eSafety may reassess those services. eSafety will assess (and reassess) services when considering exercising its powers.