Australian Politics Forum - Will the new rules affect Ozpol?

Bobby.

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Will the new rules affect Ozpol?
Sep 18^th, 2025 at 7:48pm

From 10 December 2025 everything changes:

https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/media-communications/internet/online-safety/so...

Social media minimum age.

From 10 December 2025,
age-restricted social media platforms must take reasonable steps to prevent Australian under 16s from having accounts. This follows amendments to the Online Safety Act 2021 in late-2024 to introduce a social media minimum age framework (SMMA).

The requirement applies to any existing account holders under the minimum age, as well as new accounts being established.

‘Age-restricted social media platforms’ include services that meet the following conditions:

the sole purpose, or significant purpose is to enable social interaction between 2 or more end-users;
the service allows end-users to link to, or interact with, some or all of the other end-users; and
the service allows end-users to post material on the service.
The definition casts a wide net, to ensure the minimum age obligation applies broadly to the range of services we know and understand to be social media. At the same time, there is flexibility to reduce the scope or further target the definition through legislative rules.

On 29 July 2025, the Minister for Communications made the Online Safety (Age-Restricted Social Media Platforms) Rules 2025 (the Rules), which specify the types of online services not covered by the SMMA. They are:

Messaging, email, voice calling or video calling services
Online games
Services that primarily function to enable information about products or services
Professional networking and professional development services
Education and health services
The Rules strike a balance between protecting young people from the harms associated with social media use, and allowing ongoing access to services that are essential for communication, education and health. The rules have been informed by consultation with community and industry stakeholders, parents and young people, alongside evidence-based advice from the eSafety Commissioner. The Minister requested advice from the eSafety Commissioner on 12 June 2025. The eSafety Commissioner responded on 19 June 2025 through a letter and detailed advice.

Platforms must demonstrate they’ve taken reasonable steps to prevent age-restricted users from having an account. The onus is on platforms, meaning there are no penalties for children and young people under 16 if they have access to an age-restricted platform, or for their parents or carers.

Further information is available in the social media minimum age fact sheet and at eSafety's website.

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Bobby.

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Re: Will the new rules affect Ozpol?
Reply #1 - Sep 18^th, 2025 at 7:50pm

https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2021A00076/latest/text

Online Safety Act 2021

No. 76, 2021

Compilation No. 3

Compilation date: 11 December 2024

Includes amendments: Act No. 127, 2024

About this compilation

This compilation

This is a compilation of the Online Safety Act 2021 that shows the text of the law as amended and in force on 11 December 2024 (the compilation date).

The notes at the end of this compilation (the endnotes) include information about amending laws and the amendment history of provisions of the compiled law.

63C Age‑restricted social media platform

(1) For the purposes of this Act, age‑restricted social media platform means:

(a) an electronic service that satisfies the following conditions:

(i) the sole purpose, or a significant purpose, of the service is to enable online social interaction between 2 or more end‑users;

(ii) the service allows end‑users to link to, or interact with, some or all of the other end‑users;

(iii) the service allows end‑users to post material on the service;

(iv) such other conditions (if any) as are set out in the legislative rules; or

(b) an electronic service specified in the legislative rules;

but does not include a service mentioned in subsection (6).

Note 1: Online social interaction does not include (for example) online business interaction.

Note 2: An age‑restricted social media platform may be, but is not necessarily, a social media service under section 13.

Note 3: For specification by class, see subsection 13(3) of the Legislation Act 2003.

(2) For the purposes of subparagraph (1)(a)(i), online social interaction includes online interaction that enables end‑users to share material for social purposes.

Note: Social purposes does not include (for example) business purposes.

Division 2—Civil penalty

63D Civil penalty for failing to take reasonable steps to prevent age‑restricted users having accounts

A provider of an age‑restricted social media platform must take reasonable steps to prevent age‑restricted users having accounts with the age‑restricted social media platform.

Civil penalty: 30,000 penalty units.

63DA Information that must not be collected

(1) A provider of an age‑restricted social media platform must not collect information:

(a) for the purpose of complying with section 63D; or

(b) for purposes that include the purpose of complying with section 63D;

if the information is of a kind specified in the legislative rules.

Civil penalty: 30,000 penalty units.

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Carl D

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Re: Will the new rules affect Ozpol?
Reply #2 - Sep 18^th, 2025 at 8:08pm

I believe this post on the Whirlpool Forums sums this BS up perfectly:

https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/31mmx07x#r75828344

Quote:

User #64094 2310 posts
chii
Whirlpool Forums Addict

authoritarian measures are almost always sugar coated with the "protect the children" argument.

This has nothing to do with porn, but is using porn and children to pass laws to "test the waters" with online identity verification. It's basically boiling the frog – introduce this for just porn sites first, then start next with social media sites (or was this the other way around?), then go with any news outlet/blog sites that aren't gov't sanctioned.

It's removing a freedom on the internet that anonymity brings and users enjoy. It cuts off a vital form of communication on the internet that the gov't cannot control (nor identify the source of). It makes placating a population easier, as they could shut down organizing forces online.

One must fight against these measures. But surely the gov't will proclaim those fighting against these measures as anti-children (after all, how can you be against protecting children!). Ignore those arguments – it's disingenuous.

"It's basically boiling the frog"

Yep, that's our governments for sure. And he's 100% correct.

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Bobby. Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 112950 Melbourne Gender:	Re: Will the new rules affect Ozpol? Reply #3 - Sep 18^th, 2025 at 8:13pm Carl D wrote on Sep 18^th, 2025 at 8:08pm: "It's basically boiling the frog" Yep, that's our governments for sure. And he's 100% correct. Yes and will it apply to YouTube and Facebook etc?
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Carl D Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 10290 Rivervale, Perth Gender:	Re: Will the new rules affect Ozpol? Reply #4 - Sep 18^th, 2025 at 8:19pm I'll be waiting with bated breath for the start of the 2026 school year to see how many under 16 school children will still have their faces glued to their phones at bus stops and train stations, etc. I'm betting it will still be the same large number (i.e. most of them) that we see today.
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Bobby.

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Re: Will the new rules affect Ozpol?
Reply #5 - Sep 18^th, 2025 at 8:38pm

Carl D wrote on Sep 18^th, 2025 at 8:19pm:

I'll be waiting with bated breath for the start of the 2026 school year to see how many under 16 school children will still have their faces glued to their phones at bus stops and train stations, etc.

I'm betting it will still be the same large number (i.e. most of them) that we see today.

Those websites are supposed to collect Govt approved documents.

It's ridiculous - no one is going to give their identity away online
and trust a forum admin or hackers to get all your secret info.

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Baronvonrort

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Re: Will the new rules affect Ozpol?
Reply #6 - Sep 18^th, 2025 at 8:58pm

Just another stupid restriction from the government that will cost taxpayers more money to employ internet police.

Eddie Woo is a maths teacher with popular youtube account kids under 16 will be banned from having accounts which would allow them to ask him questions.
Most parents can't help kids with maths homework past 8th grade.

My kids used Youtube for tutorials on fixing things from bikes to computers.

The Esafety Karen is on $450K a year of taxpayers money we should fire and deport that WEF puppet then spend the millions she is costing us on something that will benefit Australia.

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Bobby. Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 112950 Melbourne Gender:	Re: Will the new rules affect Ozpol? Reply #7 - Sep 19^th, 2025 at 6:02am So - will the new rules affect Ozpol?
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freediver

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Re: Will the new rules affect Ozpol?
Reply #8 - Sep 19^th, 2025 at 6:13am

That's a tricky one Bobby.

Quote:

the sole purpose, or significant purpose is to enable social interaction between 2 or more end-users

Not sure if the interaction here could be labelled "social." More anti-social. In any case, I don't think we are the intended target. Can you imagine the government trying to shut down a politics forum?

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Bobby.

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Re: Will the new rules affect Ozpol?
Reply #9 - Sep 19^th, 2025 at 6:17am

freediver wrote on Sep 19^th, 2025 at 6:13am:

That's a tricky one Bobby.

Quote:

the sole purpose, or significant purpose is to enable social interaction between 2 or more end-users

Not sure if the interaction here could be labelled "social." More anti-social. In any case, I don't think we are the intended target. Can you imagine the government trying to shut down a politics forum?

But the targets are wide -
rumors abound of them going after so many sites:

Facebook, YouTube, telegram, Instagram, WhatsApp, google search, discord, gab etc etc

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freediver

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Re: Will the new rules affect Ozpol?
Reply #10 - Sep 19^th, 2025 at 8:30am

Bobby. wrote on Sep 19^th, 2025 at 6:17am:

freediver wrote on Sep 19^th, 2025 at 6:13am:

That's a tricky one Bobby.

Quote:

the sole purpose, or significant purpose is to enable social interaction between 2 or more end-users

Not sure if the interaction here could be labelled "social." More anti-social. In any case, I don't think we are the intended target. Can you imagine the government trying to shut down a politics forum?

But the targets are wide -
rumors abound of them going after so many sites:

Facebook, YouTube, telegram, Instagram, WhatsApp, google search, discord, gab etc etc

All big, and most of them 'social'. Not sure why you put google search on the list.

The laws have not yet come into effect Bobby, so rumours are meaningless.

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People who can't distinguish between etymology and entomology bug me in ways I cannot put into words.

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Bobby.

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Re: Will the new rules affect Ozpol?
Reply #11 - Sep 19^th, 2025 at 5:15pm

freediver wrote on Sep 19^th, 2025 at 8:30am:

All big, and most of them 'social'. Not sure why you put google search on the list.

The laws have not yet come into effect Bobby, so rumours are meaningless.

All we have are rumors but I did post the new regulations.

It would take all day to read through it - I won't -
it's overly complicated - no actual targets listed -
it's open to a wide interpretation.

Monk runs a lunatic left forum so even he might be bothered by it?

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Bobby.

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Re: Will the new rules affect Ozpol?
Reply #12 - Sep 19^th, 2025 at 5:43pm

I would be surprised if people would give away information to forums
after the enormous hacks we've seen.

Google AI:

The largest hacks in Australian history include the 2022 Optus data breach affecting over 10 million customers, the 2024 MediSecure breach exposing 12.9 million Australians' personal health information, the 2025 cyberattacks on superannuation funds like Rest and HostPlus, and the 2019 Canva data leak impacting 137 million users. The 2023 Latitude Financial data breach, which affected up to 14 million individuals, and the 2025 rise in infostealer malware compromising banking and personal data also represent major incidents.

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