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, hasaddedTwitch to the list of banned platforms. Pinterest, however, was excluded, in line withAustralia’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 livestreaming. 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 toMeta‘s Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X, YouTube (exceptYouTube 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 usefor 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 providesa self-assessment toolto 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 farenacted age-verification lawsas of August 2025.Utah became the firstto require app stores to verify users’ ages and obtain parental consent for minors downloading apps. The U.K.’sOnline Safety Actcame 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 checksfor high-risk content, like self-harm and eating disorder content, to protect users under 18. Topics Reporter, Asia Kate Park is a reporter at TechCrunch, with a focus on technology, startups and venture capital in Asia. She previously was a financial journalist at Mergermarket covering M&A, private equity and venture capital. StrictlyVC concludes its 2025 series with an exclusive event featuring insights from leading VCs and builders such as Pat Gelsinger, Mina Fahmi, and more. Plus, opportunities to forge meaningful connections. Anduril’s autonomous weapons stumble in tests and combat, WSJ reports This Thanksgiving’s real drama may be Michael Burry versus Nvidia The future will be explained to you in Palo Alto Why ‘hold forever’ investors are snapping up venture capital ‘zombies’ Altman describes OpenAI’s forthcoming AI device as more peaceful and calm than the iPhone OpenAI learned the hard way that Cameo trademarked the word ‘cameo’ US banks scramble to assess data theft after hackers breach financial tech firm