AU OSA Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024

Where this comes from

Who it applies to

What engineering work it implies

Related obligations

Where the same control satisfies more than one framework — comply once, cover many.

• California Age-Appropriate Design Code ActHarmonized
  Estimate the age of child users with reasonable certainty proportionate to risk, or apply children's protections to all usersSection 1798.99.31(b) - Age Estimation
• Ireland Online Safety CodeHarmonized
  Implement robust age assurance mechanisms to prevent children from accessing content that may impair their developmentPart B - Specific Obligations, Section 7
• IEEE 2089-2021 Age Appropriate Digital ServicesHarmonized
  Implement mechanisms to identify child users and adapt services to their developmental needs and rightsPrinciple 1 - Recognize a Child User
• ISO/IEC 27566 Age Assurance FrameworkHarmonized
  Implement age assurance systems addressing all five framework characteristics: functionality, performance, privacy, security, and acceptabilityClause 5 - Framework Characteristics
• UK Age Appropriate Design CodeHarmonized
  Age verification methods must be proportionate, robust, and data-minimizingStandard 3 - Age estimation and verification methods
• UK Online Safety Act 2023Harmonized
  Services likely to be accessed by children must use proportionate and effective age assurance measures compliant with Ofcom standards for accuracy, privacy, and accessibilityPart 5, Section 60 — Age verification and age estimation standards

Evidence an auditor expects

• Technical controlTechnical audit

  Age verification for social media

  Implementation of age verification preventing under-16s from social media

• Process recordLog analysis

  Age verification audit log

  Records of age verification attempts and outcomes

Questions people ask

Does AU OSA Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 apply to my service?

It applies when Service is likely to be accessed by children under 18; Service requires/offers account registration; Youngest user age is Under 13 or 13-15; Service type: Social Media.

From when does this apply?

AU OSA Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 applies from 1 November 2024. Its current status is: in force.

What evidence does an auditor expect?

Age verification for social media; Age verification audit log.