Australia Probes Social Media on Under-16 Ban Enforcement

Australia's online safety regulator has launched investigations into major social media platforms for failing to adequately enforce the country's ban on accounts for users under 16, signaling a shift toward stricter enforcement just months after the law took effect.

The ban, which became the world's first national prohibition on social media for minors under 16, was enacted on December 10, 2024, following bipartisan approval in Parliament the previous month. Platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube now face potential court action from the eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, who released the first comprehensive compliance report this week. The report found that while companies deactivated approximately 5 million suspected underage Australian accounts in the initial months, significant gaps persist. Nearly one-third of parents surveyed reported that their under-16 children still maintain at least one account on these platforms, with two-thirds of those cases involving no age verification at all.

Inman Grant expressed significant concerns about the compliance efforts of half of the 10 platforms covered by the law, which requires companies to take...