Australia Bans Twitch for Teens, Spares Pinterest
▼ Summary
– Australia’s eSafety has added Twitch to its list of banned platforms for users under 16, effective December 10, while excluding Pinterest from the restrictions.
– Twitch will block new accounts for Australians under 16 starting December 10 and deactivate existing underage accounts on January 9, despite its global policy allowing users 13+ with parental involvement.
– The ban applies to major platforms including Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X, YouTube (excluding YouTube Kids and Google Classroom), Reddit, and the local service Kick.
– Australia’s Social Media Minimum Age rules categorize platforms based on social interaction features, with Twitch restricted due to livestreaming and Pinterest exempt as an image-collection tool.
– Other countries like the U.S. and U.K. are implementing similar age-verification and content-blocking measures, with 24 U.S. states enacting laws by August 2025 and the U.K. enforcing its Online Safety Act in July.
Australia is moving forward with its plan to prohibit social media access for individuals under the age of 16, and the popular livestreaming service Twitch has now been officially added to the list of banned platforms. The country’s eSafety commissioner confirmed the decision, which aligns with the upcoming enforcement of the Social Media Minimum Age rules. Interestingly, Pinterest has been exempted from these restrictions.
Starting December 10, Twitch will no longer permit Australian teenagers under 16 to register for new accounts. A company representative explained that any existing accounts held by users in this age group will be deactivated on January 9. While Twitch’s global policy allows users as young as 13 to join, the platform requires those below their region’s legal adult age to have parental or guardian involvement. Pinterest has not issued a public statement regarding its exclusion.
According to eSafety, Twitch falls under the classification of an “age-restricted social media service” because its core functionality revolves around live interaction and social engagement features. In contrast, Pinterest is viewed primarily as a tool for collecting and organizing images and inspiration, which places it outside the scope of the new regulations.
The comprehensive underage social media ban is scheduled to take effect on December 10. It will apply to a wide range of major platforms, including Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X, YouTube, excluding YouTube Kids and Google Classroom, Reddit, and the Australian streaming service Kick. These companies will be legally obligated to prevent users under 16 from accessing their services.
Australia passed legislation approximately one year ago to restrict social media use for children under 16. At that time, leading technology firms such as Google and Meta urged the government to postpone implementation until the completion of a national age-verification pilot program.
The eSafety commissioner offers a self-assessment tool to help digital services determine whether they must comply with the SMMA regulations. This is part of a broader international trend where governments are increasing oversight of young people’s online activities.
Nations including the United States and the United Kingdom are pursuing similar objectives through different regulatory strategies. As of August 2025, twenty-four U.S. states have enacted age-verification laws. Utah pioneered this approach by requiring app stores to verify user ages and secure parental consent for minors downloading applications.
The United Kingdom’s Online Safety Act became effective in July. It mandates that social media and other online platforms prevent children from accessing harmful material, with significant financial penalties for non-compliance. The U.K. law specifically requires robust age verification for high-risk content related to topics such as self-harm and eating disorders, aiming to safeguard users under the age of 18.
(Source: TechCrunch)
