Australia Expands Its Social Media Ban to Reddit & Kick
Categories: Data Privacy, Data Safety, Digital ID, Policy, Social Media, Twitter
Australia has widened its under-16 social media restrictions to include Reddit and Kick, with enforcement from December 10.
Platforms must take “reasonable steps” to block under-16s or face fines up to A$49.5 million.
eSafety’s “dynamic list” means more platforms – even those not seen as social media – can be added later.
Age assurance based on activity/self-reporting is weak and could lead to ID or facial verification becoming normal.
Roblox is oddly not included yet, despite well-documented child safety issues.
Australia’s social media ban for under-16s has widened again, now including Reddit and Kick, with enforcement set to begin on December 10. From then, platforms are required to “take reasonable steps” to ensure under-16s are restricted from accessing the platform.
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant confirmed the expansion this week, citing a “dynamic list” that could grow further and include platforms not typically considered ‘social media’. That language is what worries many digital privacy advocates most.
Redact covered this policy in early October, highlighting concerns around accuracy, privacy, and the real-world feasibility of large-scale age verification. Those same issues are now amplified. The government says it wants to keep children safe online – an important mission.
With some international platforms already implementing ID verification, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner has instead called for “minimally invasive” age assurance techniques – citing the effectiveness of ads targeting children on social media.
Age assurance based on self-reported age, and ‘user activity’ is not a strong starting point; it’s a system that can easily be gamed by kids, and may impact parents who’s children use their devices. If (or when) this system is provably ineffective, there’s a strong chance the Australian government will push for actual ID / facial verification as these systems are already being put in place for Discord (UK users), YouTube and others.
Shockingly, despite the aim being to “protect children”, Roblox, a platform with a well documented history of child abuse, is not currently included in the ban. eSafety has said the list will be constantly reviewed, so this could change. We’ve reached out to Australia’s eSafety Commissioner for context on Roblox’s exemption.
A “dynamic” ban with growing reach
According to new reports from ABC News and The Guardian, Reddit and Kick will now join Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, and X under the ban. Each platform will face fines of up to A$49.5 million if they fail to block under-16 users. Officials insist the approach is “flexible” so that more services can be added later, but this flexibility risks becoming an open door for indefinite expansion.
UNICEF Australia’s explainer points out the law applies to platforms whose “sole or significant” purpose is social interaction – and eSafety says those assessments will be ongoing – so more services could be pulled in over time. Notably, it does not include “any platform that enables online interaction”. Assessments will be ongoing – and hopefully Roblox will need to meet more stringent child safety requirements soon.
The risk of normalizing online ID systems
Age assurance might sound harmless, but in practice it requires collecting and verifying sensitive personal data. In the earlier Redact article, we explained how methods like facial estimation and document checks create new privacy risks for everyone, not just minors.
With Reddit and Kick now added to the list, more platforms are being pushed to develop age assurance solutions. As we’ve mentioned, some platforms have already implemented ID checks for UK based users. Australia could follow suit, and ID checks may soon become standard for everyone – turning the open internet into a gated network where every interaction must be identity-verified. Once this precedent is set, it will be difficult to reverse.
Why it matters
The intent of protecting children is valid, but the scope and enforcement of this policy raise serious concerns. Australia is positioning itself, along with the UK, as a “first mover,” but global observers are watching to see if it’s also a test case for broader identity-linked regulation online.
Social media does need reform, with better moderation, safer algorithms, and accountability from tech companies. But sweeping bans and ID checks risk creating a digital environment where privacy becomes a privilege instead of a right.
Redact has long advocated for smarter, privacy-first approaches that give users control without handing that control to governments or corporations. As this ban expands, the conversation needs to shift toward protecting both safety and freedom online.
