Australia expects court action over under-16 social media rules

Australian Communications Minister Anika Wells said she expects the government to take five major social media platforms to the Federal Court over alleged failures to comply with the country’s under-16 account restrictions. No case has been filed, and the platforms’ compliance has not been determined by a court. The services named by Wells are Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube. She said eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant is gathering evidence and using expanded investigative powers to prepare for possible proceedings. Those powers include requiring companies to provide documents and calling current or former employees to answer questions. The restrictions took effect on December 10, 2025. They require covered platforms to take reasonable steps to prevent children under 16 from holding accounts. The law places the compliance responsibility on the companies, not on children or their parents. A company found to have breached the law could face a maximum penalty of A$109.2 million; that amount is a possible court penalty, not an automatic fine. The regulator has been investigating the five services since March. An eSafety evaluation released in July found that,...