Australia adds Twitch to teen social media ban, Pinterest exempted

Just weeks before Australia’s social media ban for users under 16 takes effect, the country’s watchdog, eSafety, has added Twitch to the list of banned platforms.

Pinterest, however, was excluded, in line with Australia’s Social Media Minimum Age (SMMA) rules.

Twitch will no longer allow Australians under 16 to create accounts starting December 10, a Twitch spokesperson told TechCrunch. Existing accounts for users under 16 will be deactivated on January 9. Globally, Twitch is open to users 13 and older, and anyone under the legal age of adulthood in their region must have a parent or guardian involved, the spokesperson said.

Pinterest did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Australia’s eSafety stated that Twitch is categorized as an “age-restricted social media platform” because the service is built around online social interaction and engagement features like live-streaming. Pinterest, on the other hand, is mainly used for collecting images and ideas, so it isn’t included in the age-restricted rules.

Australia has said its underage social media ban, which will go into effect on December 10, will apply to Meta‘s Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X, YouTube (except YouTube Kids and Google Classroom), Reddit, and the local streaming service, Kick. These platforms will be required to block account access for users under 16, according to a statement by the internet regulator. 

About a year ago, Australia passed a law banning social media use for children under 16. At the time, major tech companies like Google and Meta called on the government to delay enforcement until the country finished its age-verification trial.

The regulator provides a self-assessment tool to help platforms determine if they must follow the SMMA rules. 

Other countries, including the U.S. and the U.K., are taking similar steps to control who sees what content on the Internet, though their approaches differ. Twenty-four U.S. states have so far enacted age-verification laws as of August 2025. Utah became the first to require app stores to verify users’ ages and obtain parental consent for minors downloading apps.

The U.K.’s Online Safety Act came into effect in July, mandating social media and other online platforms to block children’s access to harmful content or face huge fines. The U.K. requires strong age checks for high-risk content, like self-harm and eating disorder content, to protect users under 18.