Social Media Age Restrictions
As of 10 December 2025, age-restricted social media platforms are required by law to take reasonable steps to prevent Australians under the age of 16 from creating or keeping an account on their platforms.
- What platforms are age-restricted?
Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, Twitch, X and YouTube
- Who is responsible for implementing this ban?
It is the social media platform that is entirely responsible for removing or deactivating accounts of under-16s. There are no penalties that apply to under-16s who access an account on an age-restricted social media platform, or to parents or carers who permit them to do so.
- What does this new law mean for Maccabi clubs and events?
If your sporting club or event uses online platforms to communicate with young people and parents or carers, you may need to explore alternative methods.
Again, the responsibility for preventing under-16s from creating or having accounts is on the platforms, not on sports clubs or volunteers.
- How can we continue to communicate?
Members who are 16 or older, including parents and carers, can continue to access all our social media platforms normally. Also, under-16s can still see publicly available social media content that doesn’t require logging into an account such as YouTube.
BUT if you, your club or your event rely on under-16 members to have social media accounts so you can stay in touch with them, you need to explore alternatives.
Most standalone messaging apps, including WhatsApp and Messenger, are not affected.
- Can Maccabi clubs and events continue to share photos and videos of under-16s to social media?
The law does not affect the ability of Maccabi sporting clubs or events to post or share photos and videos of under-16s via social media accounts, so long as those accounts are owned by staff, volunteers and/or members who are 16 or older.
If the content shows anyone under the age of 16, Maccabi clubs and events should adhere to Maccabi social media policy with regards to photos and videos of children and young people – just as they should for anyone else.
Useful tools
For more information, you might consult these resources:
- webinars:
- Social media age restrictions explained – a guide for educators and youth-serving organisations
- Social media age restrictions for parents and carers
- the government’s eSafety’s sports hub, which supports sport organisations to create safer online environments
- the eSafety agency has also developed information and resources to support young people, as well as parents and carers, to understand the social media age restrictions. You can share them with your Maccabi community:
