Livestreaming platform Twitch has been added to the list of social media platforms to be banned for Australians aged under 16.
⁉️ What’s happening? The ban - which comes into effect on December 10 - will force Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube and Twitch “to take reasonable steps to prevent Australian children under the age of 16 from having accounts”.
The addition of Twitch has made headlines around the world.
💻 Why Twitch? The eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said on Friday Twitch was added to the list “because it has the sole or significant purpose of online social interaction with features designed to encourage user interaction, including through livestreaming content”.
Meanwhile, Pinterest has avoided the age restrictions.
“While Pinterest enables some online social interaction, it is not the significant purpose,” eSafety said. “Pinterest is more commonly used by individuals collating images for inspiration and idea curation.”
🪞Look in the mirror: eSafety has provided a self-assessment tool to “help industry understand if they are required to comply with the social media minimum age and remains in ongoing discussions with platforms about their compliance obligations and their planned approach towards compliance”.
“There are no further assessments planned in the lead up to 10 December,” eSafety said.
Twitch claims 105 million monthly visitors to its platform. As of Friday afternoon it had not responded to the ban on its media page.