Australia’s platform rules now reach streaming quotas and teen bans
Professor Diana M. Bowman will speak about Australia's pioneering efforts in Big Tech regulation, highlighting its ban on social media for under-16s, which resulted in 4.7 million account deactivations in six weeks. Australia has also implemented the News Media Bargaining Code, streaming quotas on major platforms like Netflix and Disney+, and established the eSafety Commissioner, serving as a live experiment in platform governance being studied by other nations.
Key Takeaways
- Under-16 social media access was banned in December 2025, with AUD 49.5 million fines per platform.
- Australia says 4.7 million accounts were deactivated in six weeks after the ban.
- The News Media Bargaining Code is part of the same policy package cited in the article.
- Streaming quotas apply to Netflix and Disney+, putting video platforms inside Australia’s broader platform-governance model.
- France, the UK, Germany, and others are now copying Australia’s approach, according to the article.
Why It Matters
Australia is being presented as a live test case for platform regulation that now reaches both social media and streaming video. For streaming services, the important signal is not just the teen ban but the fact that quotas and bargaining rules are already part of the same regulatory framework. The article also frames Australia as a reference point for other jurisdictions, including France, the UK, and Germany. Watch for any follow-on details on how the streaming quotas are enforced against Netflix and Disney+, and whether other countries adopt the same combination of age limits, bargaining rules, and platform oversight.
Read full article at linkedin.com
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