Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024
| Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 | |
|---|---|
| Parliament of Australia | |
| |
| Citation | Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 (Cth) (No. 127 of 2024) |
| Territorial extent | Australia |
| Enacted by | House of Representatives |
| Enacted by | Senate |
| Assented to by | Governor-General Sam Mostyn |
| Assented to | 10 December 2024 |
| Commenced | 11 December 2024 |
| Legislative history | |
| Initiating chamber: House of Representatives | |
| Bill title | Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024 |
| Bill citation | Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024 (Cth) |
| Introduced by | Michelle Rowland, Minister for Communications |
| Committee responsible | Senate Environment and Communications Legislation |
| First reading | 21 November 2024 |
| Second reading | 25 November 2024 |
| Voting summary |
|
| Considered by the Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee | 26 November 2024 |
| Consideration in detail | 27 November 2024 |
| Third reading | 27 November 2024 |
| Voting summary |
|
| Passed | 27 November 2024 |
| Committee report | "Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024 [Provisions] Report – November 2024". |
| Revising chamber: Senate | |
| Bill title | Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024 |
| Received from the House of Representatives | 27 November 2024 |
| Member(s) in charge | Jenny McAllister |
| First reading | 27 November 2024 |
| Second reading | 28 November 2024 |
| Voting summary |
|
| Third reading | 28 November 2024 |
| Voting summary |
|
| Passed with amendments | 28 November 2024 |
| Final stages | |
| Senate amendments considered by the House of Representatives | 29 November 2024 |
| Finally passed both chambers | 29 November 2024 |
| Amends | |
| Online Safety Act 2021 | |
| Summary | |
| Bans certain social media platforms for those under the age of 16 | |
| Keywords | |
| Child protection, social media, online communication, age restriction | |
| Status: Current legislation | |
legislature, enacted_by.The Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 is an Australian act of parliament that prohibits minors under the age of 16 from holding an account on certain social media platforms. It is an amendment to the Online Safety Act 2021 and was passed by the Parliament of Australia on 29 November 2024.
It imposes monetary penalties on social media companies that fail to take reasonable steps to prevent minors under 16 that are located in Australia from having accounts on their services. The legislation allows the government to determine which social media platforms must ban age‑restricted users and proclaim a date for the commencement of the ban, with those provisions taking effect on 10 December 2025.
The act is being challenged in the High Court by the Digital Freedom Project.
Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitter, Threads, Twitch, Kick, and YouTube were age‑restricted on 10 December 2025, with the possibility that more platforms may be added.
The legislation was introduced to parliament and passed during the term of the Albanese government.