“Australia will not allow social media giants to take advantage of us,” says Communications Minister Anika Wells.
SYDNEY: Australia is investigating Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube for potential violations of the country’s under-16 social media ban, accusing the tech giants Tuesday of “failing to comply” with the world-leading laws.
In December, Australia prohibited under-16s from accessing several of the most popular social media platforms, citing the need to shield young minds from “predatory algorithms” containing sexual and violent content.
Three months after the landmark laws came into effect, Australia’s eSafety Commission reported that a “substantial proportion of Australian children” were still accessing banned platforms.
“Australia’s world-leading social media laws are not failing. But big tech is failing to obey the laws,” Communications Minister Anika Wells told reporters. “Australia will not let the social media giants take us for mugs.”
The eSafety Commission highlighted “significant concerns” about Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube.
“None of this is impossible. None of this is even difficult for big tech, who are innovative billion-dollar companies,” Wells said. “If these companies want to do business in Australia, they must obey Australian laws.”
Any penalties will be determined by mid-2026, with fines of up to $33.9 million (Aus$49.5 million) possible under the legislation. Since the laws took effect, the eSafety Commission has removed more than five million accounts belonging to underage Australian users.
A growing body of research suggests excessive screen time is affecting teen well-being, and the ban has been welcomed by parents tired of seeing children glued to their phones. The measure has also attracted international attention, with countries including Malaysia, France, New Zealand, and Indonesia exploring similar restrictions.
While social media companies have pledged to comply, they caution that the laws could push teens toward unregulated corners of the internet. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, said that accurately verifying users’ ages has been “a challenge for the whole industry.”
Meta told AFP it would “continue investing in enforcement to detect and remove under-16 accounts.”
Image-sharing platform Snapchat said it is “fully committed to implementing reasonable steps under the legislation” and has so far locked 450,000 accounts.
TikTok declined to comment, while inquiries to YouTube went unanswered.
Social media companies are solely responsible for verifying that users based in Australia are 16 or older. They must demonstrate they have taken “reasonable steps” to remove underage users, though how the government will interpret this requirement remains unclear.
Some platforms plan to use AI tools to estimate ages from photos, while users may also verify their age by uploading a government-issued ID.
Meanwhile, online discussion site Reddit has filed a legal challenge against the ban, calling it “legally erroneous.” The US-based company cited privacy concerns, warning that verifying ages could put personal data at risk of leaks or hacks.
Reddit’s challenge has not yet been heard by Australia’s High Court.
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