Australia broadened its social media ban for under-16s to include some second-tier platforms including Reddit, a little more than a month before the world-first legislation takes effect.
As well as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X and YouTube, Threads, Kick and Reddit must also comply with the law from Dec. 10, online regulator eSafety Commissioner said in a statement on its website. The nine services meet the key requirement that their "sole or a significant purpose is to enable online social interaction,” eSafety said.
The crackdown aims to protect children from toxic elements of social media such as bullying, grooming and sexual extortion, as well as youth suicides linked to online abuse. Platforms are responsible for enforcing the age limit, with penalties of as much as A$50mil (RM136mil) for breaches.
The regulator said Discord, GitHub, LEGO Play, Roblox, Steam and Steam Chat, Google Classroom, Messenger, WhatsApp and YouTube Kids will not be restricted. The law allows the list of platforms included in the ban to change as their services evolve. – Bloomberg
