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AUSTRALIA
Two obligations, and they are not the same one
ShareRing’s home market, and the one most often described in a single sentence that turns out to be about the wrong instrument.
As at August 2026
THE OBLIGATION
What the rule actually is
- Regulator
- eSafety Commissioner
- Track A
- Age-Restricted Material Codes under the Online Safety Act. Registered 9 September 2025, in force from 9 March 2026.
- Track B
- Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024. In effect 10 December 2025.
- Who carries it
- Industry. There are no penalties for children who access age-restricted material.
THE RECORD
What has happened so far
-
A$49.5m
maximum penalty, Track B
The Social Media Minimum Age track carries penalties up to A$49.5m for failing to take reasonable steps to keep under-16s off a platform. A 2026 Bill doubles the maximum civil penalties and widens eSafety’s information-gathering powers.
-
5
platforms under investigation
In late March 2026 the government confirmed it would investigate Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube over the under-16 rules, with eSafety citing repeated verification attempts by users who had already declared themselves under-age.
-
6
Age-Restricted Material Codes
Covering app distribution platforms, social media services, equipment providers, relevant electronic services and designated internet services.
The two tracks have different instruments, different commencement dates and different penalties, and a compliance plan built on one does not answer the other. Gaming platforms are now named as in frame for the minimum-age track, which widens it well past social media.
CHECK US
Every claim above, and where it came from
Sources
Everything on this page is as at August 2026. Regulation in this market moves; if the date above is old, treat the page as old.
ShareRing took part in the Australian Age Assurance Technology Trial.
Read the trial case studyWhat a check costs here
Age verification from $0.45 a check: the first proof is about 45 cents and a returning proof is free. KYC, AML and address from the same workflow and the same integration, with no monthly minimum and no lock-in. Prices are in Australian dollars.