Kick and Reddit are being restricted for use by minors in Australia as part of the country's new online safety plan. The law, which would significantly restrict access to platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat and Threads, is expected to come into effect in December this year.
Australia's eSafety Commission has been cracking down on platforms deemed harmful to minors under a set of legislative rules introduced by the Communications Minister in July 2025. Essentially, this legislature labels all social media platforms (i.e. websites or apps designed specifically for online socialization) as potentially harmful to minors, and those platforms will be subject to more stringent age verification methods once the law goes into effect. Platforms affected by the bill would be required to take “reasonable steps” to verify the age of users, and anyone identified as under 16 would be significantly restricted from using those platforms. In most cases, this means that underage users cannot create new accounts and use key features such as posting, commenting, adding friends, or following other users. Companies found to be in violation of these laws may be subject to fines of up to 49.5 million AUD.
The eSafety Commission is adamant that these laws represent a “delay” for underage users and has decided not to call them a “ban.” This is because minor users will not be penalized if they evade the age verification process.
Kick, Reddit, etc. have significant restrictions on underage users in Australia.
These new laws also apply to Reddit and Kick. These platforms are often not considered traditional social media sites like Facebook and Instagram. According to Dexerto, Australian Communications Minister Anika Wells announced on November 4, 2025 that these platforms will be placed alongside six other restricted sites, including Facebook, TikTok and YouTube.
The law is intended to apply to any service or platform whose “sole or significant purpose” is to “enable online social interaction.” The eSafety Commission has deemed platforms that include social elements but are primarily designed around activities such as gaming or messaging to be exempt from the law. This means platforms that: robloxSteam and Twitch remain unaffected despite the eSafety Commission's assessment earlier this year.
This isn't the first time a major government has tried to ban or restrict access to social media. Video-sharing giant TikTok, for example, has been technically banned in the U.S. since January 2025, but the Trump administration has not enforced those restrictions. Secretary Wells acknowledged the complexity and difficulty of these laws, saying in a recent statement, “We are not seeking perfection, but meaningful differences.”
