Lemon8 and Yope put on notice as social media age ban targets
Anika Wells will address the National Press Club on Wednesday. (ABC News: Matt Roberts)
In short:
Social media apps Lemon8 and Yope have been advised by the eSafety Commission to self-assess in a sign they will likely be captured by the under 16s ban.
The two have surged in the app store charts as young people flock to alternatives to known platforms captured by age restrictions taking effect on December 10.
What's next?
Communications Minister Anika Wells will use a National Press Club address to warn it may take "some time" for underage users to be kicked off social media.
Two social media apps surging in popularity as alternatives to circumvent Australia's age ban have been issued a 'please explain' notice by the online safety regulator, signalling they will likely be captured by the new laws.
The eSafety Commission has written to social platform Lemon8, which is owned by TikTok parent company ByteDance, and another photo sharing app, Yope, recommending they self-assess to determine if they fall under new laws restricting social media use to Australians aged over 16.
Ten platforms — TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, X, Snapchat, Twitch, Kick, Reddit and YouTube — are confirmed as part of the ban due to take effect on December 10, but under the incoming laws all tech companies are required to constantly monitor if they are likely to be captured by the restrictions at any time.
Whether a platform meets the threshold for the age ban is determined not just by their functions such as uploading and sharing photos and videos, and comment capabilities, but also how openly the service facilitates contact from total strangers.
There are exempt categories for apps predominantly used for direct messaging, education, gaming and health.
'We won't give up': Wells
Communications Minister Anika Wells will use a speech at the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday to warn there will probably be children aged under 16 with social media accounts for "some time" after December 10.
With almost 86 per cent of Australian children aged between eight and 15 on social media, Ms Wells will say the government accepts it will take time for the age assurance "sieve" to "filter out the existing accounts and stop new accounts from being created".
"But our expectation is clear: any company that allows this is breaking the law," she will say, according to excerpts of the speech provided to the ABC.
"We know it won't be perfect from day one but we won't give up — and we won't let the platforms off the hook."
'More to say' on Lemon8
Earlier on Tuesday, Ms Wells said the government would have "more to say" about the status of Lemon8 this week.
In the lead-up to December 10, Lemon8 has been running paid ads on TikTok promoting itself as an alternative platform to circumvent the social media age restrictions.
In one post, a user says they "love lemon 8" because "it's not affected by the social media ban and you can cross-post to TikTok".
Lemon8 has been running ads on TikTok suggesting users switch sites to avoid the ban. (Supplied)
As of this week Lemon8 was the #1 app in the lifestyle category of the Apple app store and #2 in the Google Play store for android phone users.
Yope, a direct message photo sharing app, has also experienced a sudden uptick in downloads, soaring up the charts to #2 for Apple and #1 for Google.
Yope, a photo-sharing social media app, is surging in the charts. (Supplied)
A spokesman for eSafety said the published assessments of the 10 major online services were to provide "greater certainty" for Australian families and industry.
"However … eSafety is also reminding the broader online industry all services are obliged to comply with the law," he said.
"This means services themselves must continually assess whether they meet the definition of an age-restricted social media platform.
"If they do … they must take reasonable steps to ensure users under 16 do not hold an account."
Ban to 'give gen alpha a break'
In her speech, Ms Wells will compare the social pressures faced by generation X and millennials, compared to the current generation alpha.
"Targeted algorithms, persistent notifications, and toxic popularity meters are stealing their attention for hours every day," she will say.
"There is no reprieve. That's why this law matters — to give gen alpha, and the next generation, a break from the persuasive and pervasive pull of social media."
Ms Wells will also warn regulation "rarely acts fast", so Australians should not expect platforms to be slapped with $49.5 million fines for non-compliance immediately.
"What you can expect is on 11 December, eSafety will send notices to the 10 platforms we have named in our dynamic list," she will say.
"These notices will seek evidence including how many underage accounts they had on 9 December before the law started and … after."
Platforms would have time to reply before the next round of information requests were sent out asking for updated figures every six months.