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2.5 million under-16s would be "banned" from Facebook and Instagram.
AU government reveals possible Roblox plans.
Journalists called some apps "the sharks that swim free".
05 November 2025, Singapore - These apps remain "free-to-access" via teen accounts for almost 2.5 million under-16s in Australia, even after the start of a government social media ban on 10 December 2025.
They include Discord, GitHub, Steam, Messenger, WhatsApp, Roblox, and Twitch.
However, "Twitch is still being evaluated," said Australia's eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant.
As Roblox is known as a gaming platform, the app is “regulated in ways different” from social platforms such as Instagram, explained Australia's Minister for Communications Anika Wells.
This despite her acknowledgement by that “kids will still be able to be on things like Roblox or things like a messaging service to connect with friends”.
Lists of apps that are "age-restricted" and those that will not be were revealed by Minister Wells at a press conference on 05 November 2025.
List of apps to be restricted for under-16s in Australia: Minister for Communications Anika Wells
Video / The Guardian
The "Sharks" That Swim Free?
When probed about the exclusion of Roblox on the list of "age-restricted" apps, Minister Wells expects that Roblox will be “rolling out age-assurance technologies in Australia” by end 2025.
News of this social media ban has been met with confusion by many parents in Australia since it was first announced late 2024. And the sentiment was reflected in an exchange between journalists and Commissioner Grant during the November 2025 press conference.
What Is Social Media Interaction?
Below is an excerpt of the exchange:
JOURNALIST: Sorry, you’re not policing the sharks if Discord, Steam, WhatsApp, Messenger, they’re not covered by this ban.
And Ms Inman Grant, what is the dominant purpose or significant purpose of WhatsApp if it’s not social media interaction? The same with Messenger – like, what could it possibly be?
GRANT: It’s a messaging app that does allow some broadcasting.
JOURNALIST: Isn’t that social media interaction?
GRANT: No, there’s a specific legislative language to assess what online social interaction is.
I mean, if you look at other messaging apps that have much more online safety functionality, let’s take Snap.
And Snap said publicly they see themselves as a camera app and a messaging app, and they noted that some of their competitors have copied or have similar functionality.
But we had to look at the totality of the online social interaction. So, they have Snap Streaks, which is a gamification. It’s a way to keep them in endless scroll.
They have lenses. They have stories. They have spotlights. They have ephemeral media. They have Snap Maps.
So, all of these things together, if you stripped out all that functionality, would kids use Snap in the same way? I’m not sure.
I mean, those are all really engaging features and functionalities. And it is materially different from Messenger and WhatsApp. But again, yes, we have to kind of in the frame look at these separately.
JOURNALIST: It sounds like you’re letting half the sharks swim free.
Minister Wells clarified that those "platforms who are currently exempt from the social media minimum age laws are still subject to the Online Safety Act and the Privacy Act".
By Priscilla Wong
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