Australia’s imminent ban on various social media platforms for those under the age of 16 is now officially set to include Twitch.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced his intentions of rolling out age limits for social media accounts on September 10, 2024. A year later, said policy is now coming into effect in a matter of weeks.
Starting on December 10, 2025, a litany of social media platforms like Instagram and YouTube will be enforced to restrict use for those under the minimum legal age of 16.
After months of speculation as to which other platforms may be joining the list, it’s now been confirmed Twitch is among them, as ABC first reported. A Twitch spokesperson has confirmed underage users will not be able to sign up for new accounts after December 10, and existing accounts will be ‘purged’ soon after.
Twitch joins Australia’s list of banned social media platforms for children
Twitch was confirmed to be on the list on November 21, 2025, by eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant.
While there is an exception to the incoming policy with regard to video games, which placed Twitch in a grey area at first, the eSafety group defines Twitch as more than just its gaming streams.
“Twitch is a platform most commonly used for live streaming or posting content that enables users, including Australian children, to interact with others in relation to the content posted,” a statement on the eSafety website reads.
As such, Twitch is complying with the imminent social media block for children. Any social media platforms that don’t oblige and take “reasonable steps” to remove children and teens from will face fines of up to roughly $50 million, the Australian government has said.
Twitch joins Kick as the two most prominent livestreaming platforms now blocked for underage users in Australia.
There are still further assessments to be made in the coming weeks as to whether any additional platforms may join the likes of Twitch. At the time of writing, however, the full list now includes the following:
- Kick
- Snapchat
- Threads
- TikTok
- Twitch
- X (formerly Twitter)
- YouTube
Some platforms, like Meta, have already begun rolling out plans to ‘purge’ underage users before the ban arrives on December 10.
