Australia is investigating Facebook, TikTok and YouTube for possible breaches of the country’s under-16 social media ban. They accuse the big tech companies of “failing to obey” the world-leading laws.
In December, Australia banned under-16s from numerous popular social media sites. They cited the need to protect young minds from “predatory algorithms” filled with sex and violence.
Three months have passed since the landmark laws came into effect. Australia’s online safety watchdog found a “substantial proportion of Australian children” were still scrolling 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.”
Australia’s eSafety Commission flagged “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.”
Australia would decide any punishments by mid-2026.
Tech companies face fines of up to $33.9 million (Aus$49.5m) under the laws.
The eSafety Commission said more than five million accounts belonging to underage Australian users have been removed. This has occurred since the laws came into effect.
A growing body of research suggests too much time online is taking a toll on teen well-being.
Australia’s ban has been hailed as a godsend for parents sick of seeing children glued to their phones.
It has drawn interest across the globe. Malaysia, France, New Zealand, and Indonesia are among the nations now eyeing similar measures.
Social media companies have pledged to abide by the laws. However, they have warned that the measures could push teenagers into dark, unregulated corners of the internet.
Prove it
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, said accurately proving users’ ages had been a challenge. This has been a challenge for the whole industry.
It told AFP it would “keep investing in enforcement to detect and remove under-16 accounts”.
Image-sharing platform Snapchat told AFP it was “fully committed to implementing reasonable steps under the legislation.” It has so far locked 450,000 accounts.
TikTok said it had no comment, while inquiries on YouTube did not receive a reply.
Social media companies bear the sole responsibility for checking that Australia-based users are 16 or older.
They must prove they have taken “reasonable steps” to weed out young teenagers. It remains unclear how the government will interpret these steps.
Some platforms have said they would use AI tools to estimate ages based on photos. Users could also choose to prove their age by uploading a government ID.
Online discussion site Reddit has filed a legal challenge against Australia’s ban, which it described as “legally erroneous”.
The US-based company expressed serious privacy concerns. These concerns are associated with platforms verifying age. Collecting personal data creates a risk of leaks or hacks.
Reddit’s challenge is yet to be heard in Australia’s High Court.
The Author
Discover more from News Network Plus
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
