In one line: since December 2025, major social platforms have been legally required to stop under-16s creating accounts, but enforcement is still catching up — here’s the current state of play for parents.
What the Law Actually Requires
Under the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act, age-restricted platforms — including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Threads, X, YouTube, Twitch, Kick and Reddit — have been required since 10 December 2025 to take “reasonable steps” to stop under-16s creating or keeping accounts. The eSafety Commissioner’s parent hub has the full detail, and its FAQ page is worth a read if you want the specifics.
A few things worth knowing:
- The responsibility sits with the platforms, not with parents or kids — there’s no penalty for a young person who ends up with an account, or for their parents.
- Platforms are not allowed to require a government ID as the only way to prove age; they must offer reasonable alternatives.
- Platforms are expected to actively work against kids faking their age, including with fake IDs or AI-altered photos.
How It’s Actually Playing Out
It hasn’t been a clean switch-off. Media reporting earlier this year, citing eSafety data, suggested a large share of under-16s still held accounts on major platforms months after the law began, with some getting around age checks using VPNs or by disguising their appearance for selfie-based age scans. Regulators have reportedly been increasing pressure on platforms in response, including raising potential penalties for systemic non-compliance. If you want exact figures, they’re best confirmed directly through the eSafety Commissioner’s regulation page, since reported numbers vary between news outlets.
What This Actually Means Day to Day
- Don’t assume an under-16 in your household is automatically locked out of an app just because the law changed — enforcement is uneven, and existing accounts aren’t always caught.
- If a platform does flag your teen’s account for age verification, expect it to offer something other than a straight ID upload. If it’s only offering a government ID with no alternative, that’s worth double-checking against the platform’s own stated process.
- This law covers social media specifically — messaging apps, gaming platforms and educational tools are generally treated differently, so it’s worth checking eSafety’s list of which platforms are actually age-restricted rather than assuming.
- If your teen’s account does get closed or restricted, eSafety’s guidance recommends checking the platform’s own appeals or support process first, rather than creating a new account with a false birth date, which simply repeats the problem the law is trying to fix.
Practical Steps If You’re Not Sure What’s Installed
Regardless of where the law lands, it’s worth knowing what’s actually on your kids’ devices right now. A quick look through installed apps, combined with the device’s built-in screen time or family safety settings, tells you far more than assuming a platform’s age check is doing the work for you. Windows, iOS and Android all include some form of family or parental controls built in, and they’re usually more effective when paired with an honest conversation rather than used as the only line of defence.
A Broader Privacy Habit Worth Building
Age restrictions are one piece of a bigger picture around what platforms track and collect from younger and older users alike. If you’ve ever wondered how much of that “coincidental” ad targeting is really coincidence, we went into it in our piece on whether Google and Meta really listen to you.
Want Help Setting Up Safer Devices at Home?
If you’d like a hand setting up parental controls, screen time limits, or just want a second opinion on a family device, get in touch through our computer repairs and services page.