Starting next week, new age verification requirements for accessing online games with an R18+ rating will come into effect in Australia. The changes apply exclusively to multiplayer and online services: single-player offline games with the same rating, such as Doom Eternal, are not subject to the law. Among those directly affected by the new regulation is GTA Online. Publishers who fail to comply face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars per violation.

The new rules are enshrined in the Age-Restricted Materials Codes, which, according to the Australian eSafety Commission, cover "most corners of the online ecosystem." In addition to games, the requirements extend to pornography and "overtly sexual" AI chatbots.

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant stated that platforms must use "accurate, robust, fair and reliable" age verification methods:

We don't allow children into bars, bottle shops, sex shops, or casinos, but when it comes to online spaces where they spend a significant amount of their time, no such safeguards exist.

Age verification technologies exist in various forms. YouTube in Australia already requires bank card details or a copy of ID. Instagram and TikTok use "age estimation technology" based on a video selfie uploaded by the user, as well as accepting official documents. These methods are fundamentally different from the common date of birth entry field, which is easily bypassed.

It is officially stipulated that any age assurance measures must comply with Australian privacy laws and be managed solely by the service itself, not by the Australian government.

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Australia to require age verification for access to GTA Online and other R18+ online games!