- 18 Nov 2026 UK Have your directors and PSCs verified with Companies House?
- 1 Dec 2026 AU Will your onboarding accept private-sector Digital IDs?
- 10 Dec 2026 AU Does your privacy policy explain your automated KYC decisions?
- End 2026 EU Is your ID verification ready for EUDI Wallets?
- 1 Jan 2027 US Can your age checks keep up state by state?
- 1 Apr 2027 JP Is your eKYC ready for the IC-chip mandate?
- 10 Jul 2027 EU Is your CDD flow ready for the AMLR?
- 1 Jan 2028 US Are your adviser clients ready for FinCEN’s AML rule?
- 31 Mar 2029 AU Is your initial CDD on the new AUSTRAC model?
- Now AU Tranche 2 is live. Is your AML/CTF program running?
Social media age verification in Australia: the under-16 minimum age and the age assurance codes
Since 10 December 2025, age-restricted social media platforms must take reasonable steps to stop Australians under 16 from having accounts. These rules bind online platforms. They do not bind accountants, lawyers, conveyancers or real estate agents.
- The Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 requires age-restricted social media platforms to take reasonable steps to stop under-16s having accounts, from 10 December 2025.
- The duty sits with platforms. There are no penalties for under-16s or their parents.
- The government says no Australian can be forced to use government ID to prove their age online.
- Separate age-restricted material codes, aimed at material such as online pornography, apply to search engines, hosts and carriage services from 27 December 2025 and to app stores, social media and other services from 9 March 2026.
What it is
Two sets of rules under the Online Safety Act 2021 now require age assurance. The first is the social media minimum age, added by the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024. Platforms the eSafety Commissioner considers age-restricted, including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, Twitch, X, YouTube, Kick and Reddit, must take reasonable steps to prevent under-16s from creating or keeping accounts.
The second is the age-restricted material codes for class 1C and class 2 material. Industry developed nine codes and eSafety registered them. Their aim is to stop children under 18 seeing material such as pornography.
The government fact sheet names three kinds of age assurance a platform can use: age inference from existing data, age estimation from features such as a face or voice, and age verification from a date of birth, usually on an official document. Platforms are encouraged to layer them.
Who it applies to
These laws bind online service providers. A professional firm that onboards clients for AML/CTF purposes is not an age-restricted social media platform, and the codes do not cover client due diligence.
- Social media platforms that meet the criteria in the Online Safety (Age-Restricted Social Media Platforms) Rules 2025
- Hosting services, internet carriage services and search engines, under the codes in force from 27 December 2025
- App distribution platforms, social media services, equipment providers, relevant electronic services and designated internet services, under the codes in force from 9 March 2026
The relevance for KYC firms is indirect. These rules show regulators accepting age estimation and inference alongside document checks, and insisting that government ID be one option among several. That differs from AML/CTF customer due diligence, where you verify identity under your own AML/CTF program. Online gaming and standalone messaging apps are among the services excluded from the minimum age.
What platforms have to do
These duties fall on platforms and online services, so most firms reading this page have nothing to implement. They are listed so you can see what the rules require.
- Take reasonable steps to keep under-16s off
Age-restricted platforms must detect and deactivate underage accounts, prevent re-registration and give users a way to seek review, according to eSafety's regulatory guidance published 16 September 2025.
Platforms only - Offer an alternative to government ID
No Australian can be forced to use government ID to prove their age online, so platforms must offer other methods.
Platforms only - Handle age assurance data under privacy law
The OAIC's guidance, summarised in the government fact sheet, says platforms must choose necessary and proportionate methods, minimise personal and sensitive information, destroy it once the purpose is met, and get unambiguous, withdrawable consent for any further use.
Platforms only - Apply the age-restricted material codes
Services covered by the codes must apply the age assurance and safety measures set out in the code for their industry section, from 27 December 2025 or 9 March 2026 depending on the section, with some measures commencing later.
Online services only
What firms get wrong
Age assurance and identity verification use similar tools, which causes confusion about who has to do what.
The minimum age and the codes bind platforms and online services. They add nothing to the identity verification an AML/CTF reporting entity already does under its own program.
The government fact sheet lists age inference, age estimation and age verification, and says no one can be forced to use government ID to prove their age online.
An identity check confirms who someone is against an ID document. Age estimation guesses an age range from features such as a face, without confirming identity. The two answer different questions.
What happens when
- In force
Age-restricted material codes for hosting, carriage and search engine services registered Source
- In force
Six further age-restricted material codes registered Source
- In force
eSafety publishes regulatory guidance on reasonable steps for the minimum age Source
- In force
Social media minimum age of 16 takes effect Source
- In force
Codes for hosting, carriage and search engine services come into effect Source
- In force
Codes for app stores, social media, equipment and other services come into effect Source
- Commencing
Minister must have started an independent review of the minimum age law (within two years of commencement) Source
Related guides
Questions people ask
How does social media age verification work in Australia?
Age-restricted platforms must take reasonable steps to stop under-16s having accounts. They can use age inference, age estimation or age verification, and are encouraged to layer them. eSafety does not prescribe one technology.
Do I have to show ID to use social media in Australia?
No. The government says no Australian can be forced to use government ID to prove their age online, so platforms must offer other methods.
Which platforms does the under-16 rule cover?
eSafety's view is that Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, Twitch, X, YouTube, Kick and Reddit are age-restricted, among others. The list may change. Online gaming and standalone messaging apps are excluded.
Does this affect how my firm verifies clients?
No. Your identity verification duties come from the AML/CTF Act and your AML/CTF program. See AML/CTF Tranche 2 and types of identity verification.
Primary sources
Checked 5 Nov 2026. We review this page every 90 days and when the rules change.
- eSafety Commissioner, Social media age restrictions
- Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts, Social Media Minimum Age fact sheet (January 2026)
- eSafety Commissioner, Register of industry codes and industry standards for online safety
- eSafety Commissioner, Industry codes
Where StackGo fits
StackGo has no role in social media age assurance. IdentityCheck is built for client due diligence by regulated professional firms, and it does not do age assurance or age estimation.
- Biometric identity verification for client onboarding: a photo of a government ID document plus a live selfie with liveness
- It does not do age assurance, age estimation or age inference
- It is not designed to meet the social media minimum age or the age-restricted material codes
- It does not accept the Australian Government Digital ID (myID) today
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