Australia’s internet safety watchdog announced Tuesday it is examining five major social media companies for possible violations of the nation’s pioneering law prohibiting users under age 16 from accessing their platforms.
The investigation represents the government’s first public review of how well companies are following the groundbreaking legislation, which is drawing attention from lawmakers worldwide. Poor enforcement could weaken support for similar age restrictions being considered by other governments.
Julie Inman Grant, who leads the eSafety Commission, identified Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, along with Snapchat, TikTok and Google’s YouTube as the platforms under scrutiny. Her agency is collecting evidence for potential penalties against these companies.
“While social media platforms have taken some initial action, I am concerned through our compliance monitoring that some may not be doing enough to comply with Australian law,” Inman Grant stated.
“We are now moving into an enforcement stance,” she continued.
The Australian legislation allows regulators to impose penalties reaching A$49.5 million (approximately $34 million) on companies that fail to comply. Officials noted Tuesday that violating platforms also risk significant damage to their public reputation.
The safety commission discovered significant shortcomings in how platforms are implementing the youth ban. These include asking children who previously indicated they were under 16 to verify their age again, permitting multiple attempts at age verification until users achieve a result showing they’re over 16, inadequate systems for reporting underage accounts, and weak protections against new sign-ups by minors.
Each platform has received notification about specific problems and expectations for addressing these issues, according to the regulator.
TikTok refused to provide comment on the investigation, while representatives from Meta, Snap and Google did not respond immediately to requests for statements.
