Brazil’s Ministry of Justice and Public Security has raised Instagram’s content rating from 14 to 16 years of age, citing the prevalence of posts depicting extreme violence, explicit sexual material and illicit drugs. The decision, published in the government’s official gazette, means the Meta-owned photo-sharing app is now formally classified as unsuitable for users under 16 across the country. In Australia, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government said it will include YouTube in the world-first law that bars children younger than 16 from opening social-media accounts, reversing an exemption granted last year. The change follows advice from eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant and a government-backed trial that concluded digital age-verification tools can work "robustly and effectively." Officials noted that 37 percent of surveyed minors reported harmful experiences on YouTube. Platforms that fail to keep under-age users out from December face penalties of up to A$49.5 million. Alphabet is simultaneously tightening its own policies. YouTube will raise the minimum age for solo livestreaming to 16 on 22 July and is rolling out machine-learning technology in the United States that infers whether an account holder is under 18 by analysing search history and viewing habits. If the system flags a user as a minor, it disables personalised ads, turns off location history in Maps and restricts access to age-sensitive content until the person verifies their age with official identification. The moves by Brasília, Canberra and Google underscore a broader global push to insulate adolescents from potentially harmful online content. Other platforms, including Roblox and Instagram, are also experimenting with AI-based age checks as lawmakers in multiple jurisdictions weigh stricter child-safety mandates.