Australia is starting to ban under-16s from accessing social media platforms starting today. The bill was passed in November last year, with sites that allow underage users to access it facing fines of up to A$49.5 million (~RM 135 million) a
The only sites that have escaped enforcement so far are Discord, GitHub, LEGO Play, Roblox, Steam, Steam Chat, Google Classroom, Messenger, WhatsApp and YouTube Kids, which already have built-in features to block underage users.
Although the list has been published, the Australian eSafety Commissioner says it is not a static list due to the rapidly changing nature of technology. As new technology platforms emerge or existing platforms change their purpose, they may re-evaluate the services.
Australia’s outright ban on platforms labeled as “social media” is the strictest in the world to date and is now a template for enforcement in other countries such as Indonesia.
In Malaysia, the Ministry of Communications requires platform owners to use the eKYC system on the grounds of “protecting users under 16” starting in 2026 with new account registrations no longer allowed. Unlike Australia, Malaysia does not impose penalties on site owners or parents who still allow minors to access social media.