Australia adds Twitch to social media ban for teens

Twitch will be added to Australia’s ban on social media use for people under 16, which begins on December 10, 2025.

The Amazon-owned livestreaming platform, popular among gamers, joins other services like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat in the new restrictions.

Australia’s eSafety Commissioner said Twitch was included because it encourages online social interaction, enabling users to chat about content.

Australians under 16 will not be able to create new Twitch accounts from December 10, 2025, and current accounts for this age group will be deactivated from January 9, 2025 a Twitch spokesperson said.

The ban covers platforms such as YouTube, Reddit, Kick, Threads, and X, requiring tech companies to take “reasonable steps” to prevent under-16s from accessing their services, or face fines up to A$49.5 million (US$32 million).

🔗 Source: BBC

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

No binding age assurance standards yet, creating compliance uncertainty

Australia’s guidance urges a layered approach with accountability, not fixed technical rules 1. Covered platforms for under-16 access must define and prove “reasonable steps”, with expectations that shift over time 1.
The Age Assurance Technology Trial (a government-led program that evaluated age-verification and age-estimation tools) found no single method works everywhere 2. It also flagged a 2 to 3 year grey zone near cutoffs where errors jump, with disparities for darker-skinned users and those aged 16 to 20 3.
Services under the under-16 rules need to monitor and refresh controls as tools change 1. The eSafety Commissioner can investigate and enforce, so compliance becomes an ongoing spend 1.

Age assurance vendors see rising demand in Australia

In the trial, 21 providers reached Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 8 or 9 on the 1 to 9 scale 3. Examples include Yoti (digital identity and age verification) and iProov (face biometric authentication) 3. Platforms push to meet the 10 December start date 4, and Twitch plans deactivations of under-16 accounts from January 9 2.
The Age Verification Providers Association (AVPA, an industry trade group) represents 26 organizations 5, and Yoti has completed over 800 million age checks across 200+ countries 6.
Vendors with privacy-first designs gain an edge 3. ConnectID (an Australian digital identity network) and DigiChek (a privacy-focused age assurance tool) lead options 3. Yoti also follows data minimization and secure handling aligned with International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) standards 3.