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Reddit and video streaming platform Kick will join the likes of Facebook, Snapchat and TikTok in being required by the Australian government to ban users under the age of 16, the federal communications minister has revealed.
On Wednesday night, Anika Wells announced the list of eight companies which the government expects to block under-16 users from 10 December.
Reddit and Kick are the two new additions to the list, with the other platforms – which include Instagram, X and YouTube – previously being identified by the government.
Wells said Australia’s eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, had assessed the eight platforms and decided they should form the starting point for the social media ban.
Under the changes, the companies must take reasonable steps to prevent people under the age of 16 from holding accounts, or face fines of up to $49.5m.
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The government has not ruled out adding more platforms in the future, with assessments ongoing and an expectation that the list will be dynamic.
“There’s a time and place for social media in Australia, but there’s not a place for predatory algorithms, harmful content and toxic popularity [meters] manipulating Australian children,” Wells said.
“Online platforms can target children with chilling control. We are mandating they use that sophisticated technology to protect them.”
Inman Grant had written to 16 different companies asking for them to assess whether they would be required to ban under-16s. Among those contacted – but not named in the list – were Discord, GitHub, Roblox and Twitch.
Reddit is the sole forum discussion-type site to be included in the ban.
Kick – an Australian video streaming platform similar to Twitch – was added to the list, months after the high-profile death of a French user who was streaming on the platform in August. Kick said it would cooperate with authorities and was reviewing its French content.
“Our priority is to protect creators and ensure a safer environment on Kick,” it wrote on X. “All co-streamers who participated in this live broadcast have been banned pending the ongoing investigation.”
Platforms prepare for ban to begin
TikTok, Snapchat, and Meta told federal parliament last week that while they disagree with the policy, they will comply with the ban when it goes into effect next month.
YouTube has maintained its disagreement with its inclusion in the ban, but has yet to state whether it will comply. The company previously indicated it may launch legal action, but has yet to embark on that course of action.
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Elon Musk’s X platform has also expressed its opposition to the ban, and has not yet said whether it will comply with the law, amid several ongoing legal disputes with the eSafety commissioner in recent years.
Discord was absent from the initial list, despite the gaming chat platform recently implementing age assurance for Australian users. It last month said that the personal information of about 70,000 users – including some who had been required to provide evidence to prove their age – had been stolen in a data breach of a third party.
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner this week revealed more than 68,000 of these 70,000 users were located in Australia.
Inman Grant has previously stated she did not think the notorious site 4chan – which allows users to post without holding accounts – would be included in the ban.
“No, it’s really an image board,” she said last month. The commissioner has instead focused on platforms with a “significant presence” in Australia with a significant number of young users.
Inman Grant indicated 4chan would be required to comply with other codes due to come into effect at the end of this year and early next year, which will also include age assurance for sites hosting violent and adult content.
Twitch is still being assessed by eSafety as to whether it would be required to comply with the ban. Roblox, although not included, has committed to implementing new age assurance features in Australia by the end of the year. This would include children under 16 being unable to chat with adults on the platform.
