A representative from the eSafety Commissioner informed SBS News that regulations pertain to individuals under 16 who are “ordinarily resident” in Australia.

This raises the question: what does “ordinarily resident” truly signify, and does it encompass young individuals on temporary visas, such as international students?

Currently, it remains uncertain how many of these students are under the age of 16.

Per the Australian Citizenship Act of 2007, a person isn’t considered “ordinarily resident” if their stay in the country is for a “special or temporary purpose only.” However, they are regarded as residents if Australia serves as their home or they maintain a permanent dwelling there.

An eSafety representative mentioned that various indicators will be employed by the industry to ascertain an individual’s country of residence.

The spokesperson also conveyed to SBS News that they understand Meta plans to utilize “various signals” to determine users’ locations. Source: AAP / Nicholas T. Ansell

An eSafety spokesperson said the industry will use “various signals” to identify a person’s country of residence.

A spokesperson for the eSafety commissioner told SBS News they understand Meta will use “various signals” to detect users’ locations. Source: AAP / Nicholas T. Ansell

“This approach will also be leveraged to prevent issues such as circumvention via VPN as well [as] limit unintended disruption of services to people visiting the country for a short period,” they said.

“Platforms should also provide clear ways for people to request a review if they have been age-restricted by mistake,” they said.

Nearly ‘every teen affected’