The world’s largest social media companies are not doing enough to keep children in Australia off their platforms, according to the country’s internet regulator, despite a ban that came into effect late last year.
The eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant has expressed “significant concerns” regarding the compliance of Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube, reports BBC.
The legislation, which came into force on 10 December, prohibits users under the age of 16 from accessing 10 specific platforms, including Threads, X, Reddit, and streaming services Kick and Twitch.
In its first report, since the ban was instigated, the regulator identified several “poor practices”.
These include allowing children who had previously declared they were under 16 to attempt to prove they were older, enabling repeated attempts at age assurance methods, and failing to provide effective reporting tools for parents.
The eSafety Commissioner stated that while platforms have taken initial actions, monitoring suggests some may not be doing enough to comply with Australian law. “The evidence must establish the platform has not taken reasonable steps to prevent children aged under 16 from having an account,” she said, adding that the regulator will now begin enforcing restrictions and gathering evidence.
Data reveals that 4.7 million accounts were restricted or removed in the first month of the ban. Snap, the developer of Snapchat, reported it had locked 450,000 accounts and continues to do so daily.
A spokesperson for Meta – the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Threads – stated the firm is “committed to complying” but noted that accurate age determination remains a “challenge for the whole industry”.
Meta argued that “robust age verification and parental approval” at the app store level would be the most effective approach.
While the policy enjoys wide support among parents, critics and technology experts have raised concerns. Advocates for child wellbeing suggest children should be educated on potential harms rather than banned, and some argue the ban unfairly excludes minority groups, such as rural, disabled, and LGBTQ+ teenagers, who often find community online.
Commissioner Inman Grant acknowledged that “durable, generational change takes time,” but insisted that platforms have the capability to comply today. She described the reform as a “cultural reset” that pushes against the powerful interests of Big Tech.
