According to TechCrunch, Australia’s eSafety regulator has added Twitch to its social media ban for users under 16 just weeks before the rules take effect on December 10. Twitch will block new account creation for Australians under 16 starting December 10, and existing accounts for this age group will be deactivated on January 9. Pinterest, however, was exempted from the restrictions under Australia’s Social Media Minimum Age rules. The ban already applies to Meta’s Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X, YouTube (except YouTube Kids and Google Classroom), Reddit, and local streaming service Kick. Twitch currently allows users 13 and older globally, but Australia categorized it as “age-restricted” due to its live-streaming and social interaction features.
The social media crackdown expands
Here’s the thing about Australia’s approach: they’re drawing some pretty interesting lines in the sand. Twitch gets the ban hammer because of its “online social interaction and engagement features” – basically, the live chat and community aspects that make it more than just passive viewing. But Pinterest gets a pass because it’s seen as more of a digital scrapbook than a social network. The distinction seems to be about real-time interaction versus content collection. But honestly, where do you draw that line? Is commenting on pins not social interaction? The regulator provides a self-assessment tool to help platforms figure out where they stand, but these categories feel increasingly blurry.
This is part of a global trend
Australia isn’t going this alone. According to the reporting, 24 U.S. states had enacted age-verification laws as of August 2025, with Utah leading the charge by requiring app stores to verify ages and get parental consent for minors. The UK’s Online Safety Act kicked in this past July, focusing more on blocking harmful content while requiring strong age checks for high-risk material. What’s fascinating is how different countries are taking different paths to the same destination: more control over what young people can access online. Australia’s going for the blunt instrument approach – just ban them entirely from certain platforms. Other places are trying more targeted restrictions.
The enforcement headache
Now comes the messy part: actually making this work. Tech companies like Google and Meta wanted Australia to delay enforcement until the country finished its age-verification trial. Because let’s be real – how exactly do you verify someone’s age online without creating massive privacy nightmares or just driving kids to lie? The state-level laws in the US are already facing legal challenges over exactly these concerns. And what happens when determined teens just use VPNs or their parents’ accounts? This feels like the beginning of a very long cat-and-mouse game between regulators and young internet users.
Where does this lead?
I think we’re seeing the early stages of what will become a fundamental reshaping of the internet experience for young people. The days of the wild west internet where anyone could access anything are clearly ending. But the big question remains: are blanket bans the right approach, or should we focus more on education and graduated access? The UK’s approach of targeting specific harmful content while allowing broader access might prove more sustainable. Either way, platforms are going to need to invest heavily in age verification tech – and parents are going to need to have some uncomfortable conversations with their kids about why their Twitch accounts suddenly stopped working come January.
