Online Safety (Age-Restricted Social Media Platforms) Rules 2025

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Commonwealth Coat of Arms of Australia

 

Online Safety (Age‑Restricted Social Media Platforms) Rules 2025

I, Anika Wells, Minister for Communications, make the following rules.

Dated 29 July 2025

Anika Wells

Minister for Communications

 

 

 

 

Contents

Part 1—Preliminary

1 Name

2 Commencement

3 Authority

4 Definitions

Part 2—Age‑restricted social media platforms

5 Classes of services that are not age‑restricted social media platforms

 

Part 1—Preliminary

 

1  Name

  This instrument is the Online Safety (Age‑Restricted Social Media Platforms) Rules 2025.

2  Commencement

 (1) Each provision of this instrument specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.

 

• Commencement information
• Column 1 Column 2 Column 3
• Provisions Commencement Date/Details
• 1. The whole of this instrument The day after this instrument is registered. 31 July 2025

Note: This table relates only to the provisions of this instrument as originally made. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this instrument.

 (2) Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this instrument. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this instrument.

3  Authority

  This instrument is made under the Online Safety Act 2021.

4  Definitions

  In this instrument:

Act means the Online Safety Act 2021.

Part 2—Age‑restricted social media platforms

 

5  Classes of services that are not age‑restricted social media platforms

 (1) For the purposes of paragraph 63C(6)(b) of the Act, electronic services in each of the following classes are specified:

 (a) services that have the sole or primary purpose of enabling end‑users to communicate by means of messaging, email, voice calling or video calling;

 (b) services that have the sole or primary purpose of enabling end‑users to play online games with other end‑users;

 (c) services that have the sole or primary purpose of enabling end‑users to share information (such as reviews, technical support or advice) about products or services;

 (d) services that have the sole or primary purpose of enabling end‑users to engage in professional networking or professional development;

 (e) services that have the sole or primary purpose of supporting the education of end‑users;

 (f) services that have the sole or primary purpose of supporting the health of end‑users;

 (g) services that have a significant purpose of facilitating communication between educational institutions and students or students’ families;

 (h) services that have a significant purpose of facilitating communication between providers of health care and people using those providers’ services.

 (2) In determining whether a service is in any of the classes set out in subsection (1), disregard any of the following purposes:

 (a) the provision of advertising material on the service;

 (b) the generation of revenue from the provision of advertising material on the service.