Twitch has been included in Australia’s social media ban aimed at users under the age of 16, which will commence on December 10. This addition aligns Twitch with other platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat, which must ensure that users below this age are unable to create accounts, and that existing accounts for under-16s will be deactivated.
The Australian internet regulator indicated that Twitch, owned by Amazon, was included due to its primary function of facilitating “online social interaction,” where users engage with one another about shared content. A representative from Twitch confirmed that as of December 10, Australians under the age of 16 will not be able to open new accounts, and existing accounts will be deactivated by January 9, 2024.
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant highlighted Twitch as a platform frequently used for livestreaming and content interaction, which warranted its inclusion in the ban. No additional platforms are anticipated to be added before the enforcement date.
The Australian government has stated that the ban is intended to mitigate the potential “pressures and risks” posed to children on social media, including exposure to harmful content. Twitch, established in 2007, is viewed as a popular platform for video game livestreaming, with changes implemented last year aimed at increasing revenue sharing with content creators.
The ban encompasses several other platforms, including YouTube, Reddit, Kick, Threads, and X, and mandates that these companies must implement “reasonable steps” to prevent under-16s from accessing their services, with non-compliance potentially resulting in fines of up to $49.5 million AUD.
While Pinterest will not be included in the ban due to its focus on image curation rather than social interaction, the specific methods for enforcing the under-16s ban remain uncertain; suggestions include using government identification, facial recognition, or analyzing online behavior to estimate user age.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2n2955g10o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss