Australia: Minister for Communications adopted Online Safety (Age-Restricted Social Media Platforms) Amendment Rules 2026

On 25 March 2026, the Australian Minister for Communications adopted the Online Safety (Age-Restricted Social Media Platforms) Amendment Rules 2026 to define specific platform features that trigger age-restriction obligations. The instrument amends the 2025 Rules to specify that an electronic service is considered an age-restricted social media platform if it includes a recommender feature or a logged-in feature, such as endless feeds, feedback mechanisms like "likes", or time-limited ephemeral content. The aim of the policy is to target the statutory obligation for platforms to prevent users under 16 years from holding accounts toward services designed for persistent engagement that may pose risks of harm to children. Services that have none of these features will not be subject to the obligation under section 63D of the Online Safety Act 2021.