AgeGateOverview
Australia takes a technology-neutral approach to age verification. The eSafety Commissioner does not prescribe specific verification methods but requires platforms to implement "reasonable steps" to prevent minors from accessing restricted content. Industry codes developed under the Online Safety Act were registered in December 2025 and set out the practical compliance requirements.
Additionally, the Social Media Minimum Age Act — passed in December 2024 — bans children under 16 from social media platforms. Enforcement of this law began in late 2025. Platforms must implement age assurance and parental consent mechanisms to comply with the under-16 ban.
Australia's technology-neutral stance means any robust method that gives the platform reasonable grounds to believe a user is 18 or over will satisfy the Online Safety Act requirements.
Who needs to comply
The Online Safety Act applies to any platform accessible to Australian users that hosts or provides access to:
- Class 1 content — content that would be refused classification under Australian law, including child sexual abuse material and extreme violence
- Class 2 content — pornography and other restricted material that is legally available only to adults
Additionally, under the Social Media Minimum Age Act, all social media platforms accessible in Australia must:
- Prevent children under 16 from creating or maintaining accounts
- Implement age assurance systems capable of identifying users who are under 16
- Provide a parental consent mechanism where the platform reasonably believes a user may be under 16
The laws apply regardless of where the platform is headquartered — if Australian users can access it, it is in scope.
Approved verification methods
The eSafety Commissioner's technology-neutral approach means the following methods all constitute "reasonable steps":
| Method | How it works | eSafety rating | Offered by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Facial age estimation | Uses a brief selfie to estimate age. The model runs entirely on the user's device — no image is uploaded, transmitted, or stored. Constitutes reasonable steps under the Online Safety Act. | Acceptable | AgeGate |
| Photo ID verification | User uploads a government-issued photo ID. Document is verified and age extracted. | Acceptable | Third-party |
| Credit card check | Verifies that a payment card belongs to a person aged 18 or over using card network data. | Acceptable | Third-party |
| Reusable age credential (AgeKey) | A FIDO2 passkey-based reusable credential. Users verify once and reuse across sites. | Acceptable | Third-party |
| Digital ID wallet (myGovID) | Age verification via Australia's government digital identity system. | Acceptable | Coming soon |
| Parental confirmation | For the Social Media Minimum Age Act: parent or guardian confirms child's age and grants access. | Acceptable (social media) | Coming soon |
Penalties and enforcement
The eSafety Commissioner has broad enforcement powers under both laws:
- Civil penalties of up to AUD $782,500 per day for individuals
- Higher per-day penalties for corporations
- Removal notices requiring the platform to take down non-compliant content
- Service cessation notices that can require platforms to block Australian users entirely
- Under the Social Media Minimum Age Act, platforms can be fined up to AUD $50 million for systemic failures to enforce the under-16 ban
How AgeGate helps
AgeGate handles Australian compliance automatically:
- Detects Australian users via IP geolocation
- Presents AgeGate's facial age estimation — constitutes reasonable steps under the Online Safety Act, runs on-device in under 100ms
- No image is uploaded, transmitted, or stored — fully compatible with the Australian Privacy Act
- Supports parental confirmation flow for the Social Media Minimum Age Act under-16 check (coming soon)
- Logs every verification event with the detail the eSafety Commissioner expects
- myGovID integration is on the roadmap for the preferred government digital identity method