Australia expands social media ban for under-16s to Reddit and Kick

Australia’s sweeping new ban on social media for children under 16 will cover nine major platforms, including Reddit and the livestreaming site Kick, when it takes effect on December 10, officials confirmed Wednesday.

The law will also restrict access to Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, and YouTube. Communications Minister Anika Wells said the goal is simple:

“We want children to have a childhood, and we want parents to have peace of mind.”

“Online platforms use technology to target children with chilling control. We are merely asking that they use that same technology to keep children safe online,” Wells said in Canberra, warning tech companies that there would be “no excuse for failure.”

Social media firms have had a full year to prepare since the legislation passed in late 2024, and the government has signaled that the list of restricted platforms could still grow.

Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, defended the ban as a necessary experiment in digital child protection.

“Delaying children’s access to social media accounts gives them valuable time to learn and grow, free of the powerful, unseen forces of harmful and deceptive design features such as opaque algorithms and endless scroll,” she said.

Grant’s office will track the ban’s effects on children’s behavior, from sleep and exercise to social interaction, and share findings internationally. “We’ll also look for unintended consequences,” she said.

Critics, however, call the policy overreach. More than 140 academics have signed an open letter warning that the law is a “blunt instrument” that risks pushing kids into less-regulated corners of the internet. Enforcement remains a major question too, since users cannot be forced to verify their age with government IDs.

Failure to comply could cost platforms up to 49.5 million Australian dollars ($32 million) in fines.

The announcement came as France opened a criminal investigation into TikTok, accusing the app’s algorithms of promoting suicide-related content to minors. French prosecutors said the platform’s “insufficient moderation” could endanger young users. TikTok denied the allegations, calling the claims politically motivated.

With more than 1.5 billion global users, TikTok has faced increasing scrutiny worldwide over child safety, mental health, and alleged foreign influence, issues now at the heart of Australia’s hardline move.