Telegram expands its age eligibility requirement to Australian users

Telegram expanded its age eligibility requirement by adding Australia to the regions where users must be at least 18 years old to sign up, alongside the EU and the United Kingdom.

The wording was also revised. Whereas the previous policy referred to “citizens of EU countries and the United Kingdom,” linking the restriction to nationality, the updated text applies to “users,” making the requirement dependent on the user’s location rather than citizenship.

Australia’s Online Safety Act 2021 introduced age verification. Telegram was fined AUD 957,780 for non-compliance in February 2025. Since November, Telegram has been challenging the fine on technical, legal and freedom of speech grounds.

Telegram is a messaging application founded by Nikolai and Pavel Durov, two Russian entrepreneurs. Telegram has come under intense scrutiny around the world for being a platform that facilitates many illegal activities, including the sale of illegal pornography and the drug trade. Marketed as a privacy-focused messaging app, it also benefits Durov’s anti-Putin reputation and the company’s “refusal to hand over data in response to lawful orders”. Since then, and especially since Durov’s arrest by the French authorities, Telegram has started cooperating with government agencies and modifying its policies.