Massive Surge in VPN Use Expected as Australia Prepares to Restrict Reddit and YouTube

Australia is gearing up to block Reddit, YouTube, and several other major social platforms unless they can comply with new child-safety laws—meaning millions of users may soon need a VPN just to access their favorite sites.

The changes stem from the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024, an update to legislation first introduced in 2021. The revised law—set to take effect on December 10, 2025—targets the protection of children aged 16 and under from harmful online content, including bullying. Unlike similar measures such as the UK’s Online Safety Act, the responsibility in Australia falls directly on tech companies to prevent underage users from accessing their services.

If you assume being over 16 means you're unaffected, that may not be the case. Should platforms fail to roll out effective age-verification systems in time, they could face temporary bans for all Australian users. As a result, VPN usage is expected to skyrocket as a workaround—though hardly an ideal solution.

Platforms that could be blocked include:

• Reddit

• Kick

• Facebook

• Instagram

• Snapchat

• Threads

• TikTok

• X (formerly Twitter)

• YouTube

For now, Discord and WhatsApp remain off the list, but officials haven’t ruled out adding them later.

Australia’s Communications Minister, Anika Wells, emphasized that tech companies have been warned: "We have met with several of the social media platforms in the past month so that they understand there is no excuse for failure to implement this law. Online platforms use technology to target children with chilling control. We are merely asking that they use that same technology to keep children safe online."

The amendment has already been praised internationally, including by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, raising the possibility of similar regulations appearing across Europe.

As with the UK’s approach, the real question is whether these laws will meaningfully improve online safety—or simply push millions toward VPNs. Time will tell.