Australia: Online Safety (Age-Restricted Social Media Platforms) Amendment Rules 2026 enter into force

On 26 March 2026, the Online Safety (Age-Restricted Social Media Platforms) Amendment Rules 2026 entered into force, setting out the platform features that trigger age-restriction obligations. The instrument amends the 2025 Rules to specify that an electronic service is classified as an age-restricted social media platform if it includes a recommender feature or a logged-in feature, such as infinite scrolling feeds, user feedback mechanisms like “likes”, or time-limited ephemeral content. The policy is intended to clarify the scope of the statutory obligation requiring platforms to prevent users under 16 from holding accounts, focusing on services designed for persistent engagement that may present risks to children. Services that do not include any of these features are not subject to the obligation under section 63D of the Online Safety Act 2021.