Australian Children Moving to New Social App Lemon8; Owner Expected to Restrict Users to Over-16s
YouTube will comply with Australia’s under-16s ban, with Google warning that the laws may not keep teens safer and could misunderstand how children use the internet. Communications Minister Anika Wells emphasized that platforms have a responsibility to keep users safe and called Google's warnings outright weird. Lemon8, a social app owned by ByteDance, will restrict its users to over-16s starting 10 December, as the eSafety Commissioner has monitored the app for possible inclusion in the ban. Google will begin signing out under-16 users on 10 December, removing access to sign-in features such as subscriptions, playlists, and likes, as well as some safety features, although signed-out viewers can still watch videos. On 11 December, the eSafety Commissioner will seek information from platforms regarding efforts to purge underage users and will publish data monthly; non-compliance can trigger fines up to $50 million. Wells suggested that more platforms could be added if under-16s migrate to sites not currently listed, citing Lemon8 as a test case and mentioning LinkedIn as a potential target. The government frames this policy as a measure to protect children and reduce online bullying, noting that enforcement might take days to weeks to fully take effect, with ongoing scrutiny of platforms’ age-verification practices.
