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How will Australia's ban on youth access to social media affect instances hosted in Australia? (lemmy.ca)
submitted 9 months ago by to c/fediverse@lemmy.world
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Do they have any rule that says you need a minimum number of users on a site to fall under the law?

If servers of someinstance.co.au fine if they move to hosting in Finland?

It just feels like a nightmare.

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[–] 21 points 9 months ago (14 children)

To my fellow Aussies:

The social media ban works through DNS, just change your DNS to either 8.8.8.8 or 1.1.1.1 in your router settings and browser setting. I've had no problems so far, but if that doesn't work you can always use TOR or another VPN service.

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  • [–] 20 points 9 months ago (2 children)

    Quad9 is also a great provider for privacy: 9.9.9.9 ... In case you want to avoid google and cloudflare.

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  • [–] 10 points 9 months ago (4 children)

    wait, it actually works through dns?

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  • [–] 1 point 9 months ago* (2 children)

    No, it's account based, in a lot of cases changing your DNS won't change the server you end up with at Youtubes or whoever

    Age-restricted platforms are expected to take reasonable steps to:

    • find existing accounts held by under-16s, and deactivate or remove those accounts

    • prevent under-16s from opening new accounts

    • prevent workarounds that may allow under-16s to bypass the restrictions

    • have processes to correct errors if someone is mistakenly missed by or included in the restrictions, so no one’s account is removed unfairly.

    Does every Australian now have to prove their age to use social media?

    For example, if someone has had an account since Facebook started in Australia in 2006, Meta could reasonably assume they are older than 16 so no further check is needed.

    https://www.esafety.gov.au/about-us/industry-regulation/social-media-age-restrictions/faqs

    Platforms then use a variety of signal's to detect if someone is under 16:

    DNS has nothing to do with it

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  • [–] -1 points 9 months ago (5 children)

    that is not how the social media ban works…

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  • [–] 5 points 9 months ago* (4 children)

    Then how am I still able to access youtube, facebook and all the others without needing to give them my ID?

    Edit: Nice alt accounts, loser.

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  • [–] 0 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (3 children)

    Then how am I still able to access youtube, facebook and all the others without needing to give them my ID?

    DNS translates domains like youtube.com into IP's like 1.1.1.1, this has no bearing when you make a social media account in Australia:

    It’s not a ban, it’s a delay to having accounts.

    This means there will be no penalties for under-16s who access an age-restricted social media platform, or for their parents or carers. However, age-restricted social media platforms may face penalties if they don’t take reasonable steps to prevent under-16s from having accounts.

    https://www.esafety.gov.au/about-us/industry-regulation/social-media-age-restrictions

    As of 10 December 2025, Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, Twitch, X and YouTube are required to take reasonable steps to prevent Australians under 16 from having accounts on their platforms.

    If you have an australian account registered with those websites and they suspect you are under 16 you will have to verify your id

    As explained here the platforms will need to check:

    https://aussie.zone/post/27246692/20254931

    How can under-16s be stopped from finding a way around the age restrictions?

    Platforms may assess age-related signals which can help work out if someone is under 16. These signals can include:

    how long an account has been active

    whether the account holder interacts with content targeted at children under 16

    analysis of the language level and style used by the account holder and the people they interact with

    visual checks, such as facial age analysis of the account holder’s photos and videos

    audio analysis, such as age estimation of the voice of the account holder

    activity patterns consistent with school schedules

    connections with other users who appear to be under 16

    membership in youth-focused groups, forums or communities.

    Platforms may also use location-based signals which can help work out if an account holder usually lives in Australia and could be using a VPN to pretend they don’t. These signals can include:

    IP address(es)

    GPS or other location services

    device language and time settings

    a device identifier

    an Australian phone number

    app store or operating system or account settings

    photos, tags, connections, engagement or activity.

    Evidence of these age and location signals is expected to trigger the age assurance process, or review of an account if it has already been checked.

    https://www.esafety.gov.au/about-us/industry-regulation/social-media-age-restrictions/faqs

    On top of this there are plenty of services that block VPN's, most famously Netflix.

    So yeah, changing one aspect of your account while leaving all the others won't get around the ban

    Edit: Nice alt accounts, loser.

    This is my primary account and always has been? What's with the loser? Why so cranky?

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  • [–] 1 point 9 months ago* (2 children)

    That's a lot of text just to say "I'm an idiot who loves bending over for the government".

    How are they going to enforce any of that on a company with no office in Australia? Answer: They can't.

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  • [–] 2 points 9 months ago* (1 child)

    How are they going to enforce any of that on a company with no office in Australia? Answer: They can’t.

    Then how am I still able to access youtube, facebook and all the others without needing to give them my ID?

    You think youtube and facebook don't have offices in Australia?

    That’s a lot of text just to say “I’m an idiot who loves bending over for the government”.

    I'm simply telling you what the government is telling social media companies that allow Australian users to create accounts on their websites

    You can change your DNS all you want mate, I'm just saying it won't make a difference

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