Livestreaming gaming app Twitch to be included in Australia’s under-16s social media ban

Livestreaming gaming app Twitch has been the latest platform put on warning ahead of Australia’s impending under-16s social media ban.

Twitch will join nine other platforms — Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X and YouTube — included in the world-first legislation.

While gaming and messaging apps are exempt, Australia’s eSafety commissioner revealed on Friday the Amazon-owned platform was included due to its online social interaction features.

The 2007-founded Twitch will now be required to take reasonable steps to deactivate all accounts held by under-16s in Australia and block them from starting a new one or face fines of up to $50 million.

“Following Twitch’s own self-assessment, eSafety assessed Twitch as meeting the criteria for ‘age-restricted social media platform’, because it has the sole or significant purpose of online social interaction with features designed to encourage user interaction, including through livestreaming content,” the eSafety Commission said in a statement published on Friday.

eSafety also ruled out popular visual discovery engine Pinterest — used for image-based inspiration boards — from the ban.

“eSafety has also informed Pinterest it does not consider it subject to age restrictions. While Pinterest enables some online social interaction, it is not the significant purpose,” it stated.

“Pinterest is more commonly used by individuals collating images for inspiration and idea curation.”

eSafety confirmed no further assessments were planned in the lead-up to the ban taking effect on December 10.

Commissioner Julie Inman Grant has previously stated that it would ultimately be a matter for the courts whether a service is an age restricted social media platform under the Australian legislation.

It comes as Meta warned young users on Thursday to download and save data from its platforms Facebook, Instagram and Threads as they’ll start deactivating account from December 4.

Users believed to be aged between 13 and 15 are being notified by text, email and in-app messages that their accounts will be deleted and under-16s will no longer be able to create new ones on Meta’s social media platforms.

If Meta’s evaluation of a user’s age on December 4 is wrong, the user will be able to challenge it by taking a “video selfie” to prove their age using facial scan technology. They will also have the option to upload their ID.

Shadow Communications Minister Melissa McIntosh said another app added to the list with just 19 days to go illustrated the policy had been “been poorly planned, with a last-minute scramble on education for families, schools and children”.

She labelled the approach of the rollout as “haphazard, inconsistent and unclear”.

“Extraordinarily, the eSafety Commissioner has just informed Australian families that under-16s won’t be able to have a Twitch account come December 10,” Ms McIntosh said.

“Only giving a platform 19 days to ensure they are compliant with the social media ban is sloppy, last-minute policy work the eSafety Commissioner and government should have done months ago.”

While Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young welcomed the addition of Twitch on the list, saying it had been “problematic”, she claimed the rollout appeared like a “game of Whack-a-Mole”.

“The way it’s been designed — it’s a game of Whack-a-Mole,” Senator Hanson-Young said.

“Whether they’re listed by the eSafety Commissioner, it doesn’t make them safe or not.

“This is why we need a full suite of laws that regulate the social media industry properly, making all platforms safe by ensuring there is a legal requirement for them to do it.”

Senator Hanson-Young on Friday expressed her “respect” to Ms Inman Grant for going after “tech bros” with “nasty algorithms” but added: “The problem is we don’t have strong enough laws in this country for her to enforce”.

Communications Minister Anika Wells on Friday said the Government has a “genuine desire” to legislate a digital duty of care in 2026 but insists there must be a balanced approach.

In a press conference in Brisbane, Ms Wells reminded Australians to take part in consultation to help design the digital duty of care within the Online Safety Act by the survey’s December 7 cut-off.

The proposal has been called for by online experts but Ms Wells has said the Government planned to introduce its world-first social media ban for under-16s before tackling the further protections.

“The Albanese Government is reviewing our response to the online safety act to look at things like a digital duty of care,” she said on Friday.

“It is ultimately a balance between free speech and doing what we can to reasonably protect Australians online.”