- Bluesky applies age controls to comply with Australia’s social media ban
- Social media service also rolls back restrictions in Mississippi
- All minors under 16 years of age in Australia are prohibited from using social networks
Bluesky has become the latest platform to be affected by Australia’s social media ban for under-16s. In a surprising twist, the platform has imposed age checks on all new users even though it is not required to do so by law.
Currently, only ten platforms are under the scope of the law (Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, Twitch, X and YouTube), although this is subject to change in the future.
Despite not being listed, all new Bluesky users are asked to complete age verification through Kids Web Services (KWS).
All accounts of those under 16 years of age will be deactivated, while adult content will be inaccessible to those under 18 years of age. The company also confirmed that it would disable direct messaging for users ages 16 to 18.
The social media platform also reversed its blocking of Mississippi users, which it implemented earlier this year due to the state’s new age verification laws, a move that caused a notable spike in VPN usage at the time.
Despite the reversal, the company has not changed its stance. “We continue to believe that Mississippi’s law limits free speech and disproportionately harms smaller platforms,” Bluesky said. Consequently, while the platform will now be available to people in Mississippi, the company confirmed that it will not follow all of the law’s requirements in detail.
While teenagers in Australia will still be able to use WhatsApp, Discord, Roblox and Pinterest to socialize online, their social media experience has now completely changed.
But the change didn’t happen all in one day. Meta started to notify Facebook, instagramand Rags accounts that you suspect belong to minors under 16 years of age December 4th. Users can challenge this decision by providing a government-issued ID or a selfie video to prove their age through Meta’s third-party partner, Yoti.
YouTube is following a similar approach to Meta and notifying Australian users under 16 that their accounts will be automatically closed. snapchat has taken similar steps, confirming in a blog post that it has partnered with digital identity firm k-ID to verify users’ ages.
Despite his outspoken opposition to the legislation, reddit has taken steps to comply with the ban by restricting access to users under 16, while also introducing a safety-focused version of the app for users under 18.
unknown, Kickand Twitch They have not yet revealed clear details about how they intend to enforce the new age verification rules.
Can users turn to VPNs?
Mandatory age verification has led to a global surge in the use of the best VPN apps, driven largely by privacy-conscious users looking for ways to avoid sharing their most sensitive personal data when browsing the Internet.
In Australia, however, regulators said social media platforms are also expected to “try to prevent users from using VPNs.”
It is not yet clear how platforms will meet these requirements. Depending on the approach used, it will also be possible to understand whether using a VPN can help bypass Australia’s new-age verification regime or not.
Certainly, some people in Australia have already been trying, with Google Trends data already showing an increase in search volume for the term “VPN” on the first day the ban came into effect.
However, users should be careful when downloading free and unsafe VPN solutions that do more harm than good. We recommend checking out our guide on the best free VPNs for verified and secure options. For those who can invest in strong privacy protection, a premium service like TechRadar’s top-rated NordVPN remains the safest option.
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We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Access a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protect your online security and strengthen your online privacy when you are abroad. We do not support or condone using a VPN service to break the law or conduct illegal activities. Future Publishing does not endorse or approve the consumption of paid pirated content.
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