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Australia Investigates Five Social Media Platforms for Under-16 Ban Compliance
Australia's eSafety Commission probes major platforms for inadequate age verification and poor reporting, with 5 million accounts removed but many under-16s still active, facing up to $49.5 million fines.
- On Tuesday, eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant released a compliance report demanding 10 platforms remove all Australian users younger than 16, citing "significant concerns" about Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube.
- Since the law took effect on December 10, 5 million accounts have been deactivated, yet the regulator reports many children continue to bypass age assurance systems to retain or create new accounts.
- Communications Minister Anika Wells accused platforms of "deliberately not complying," citing "poor practices" such as allowing unlimited age verification attempts and prompting users to retry after declaring themselves underage.
- Regulators are gathering evidence to determine whether companies took "reasonable steps" to exclude children, with courts potentially ordering fines of up to $33 million for systemic failures to comply.
- Reddit and the Digital Freedom Project filed constitutional challenges in the Australian High Court, arguing the law infringes on "implied freedom of political communication," with a preliminary hearing set for May 21.
123 Articles
123 Articles
A study in Australia, the first to ban teenagers from social media, found that almost 70% of children under 16 with accounts on Instagram, Snapchat or TikTok maintained access. The Australian government has now accused major tech companies such as Meta, TikTok and Google of failing to comply with a landmark ban on social media use by children under 16.
Australia Warns Big Tech as ‘Substantial’ Number of Teens Bypass Social Media Ban
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman-Grant has put Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube on notice over potential breaches of Australia’s social media ban. Australia’s online safety watchdog said it has “significant concerns” about compliance with a “substantial proportion” of under-16-year-olds still circumventing the ban. Penalties include a potential $49.5 million fine. eSafety Commissioner Inman Grant warned that despite early steps …
The pioneer in the social media restrictions sees shortcomings in the implementation of its specifications. And wants to hold the companies responsible.
Australia readies social media court action citing teen ban breaches
Australia threatened on Tuesday to sue social media giants for allegedly flouting a ban on under-16s, as its internet regulator disclosed it is investigating some of the biggest platforms for suspected non-compliance with the world-first measure. Three months after the ban came into effect, the eSafety Commissioner said it was probing Meta's Instagram and Facebook, Google's YouTube, Snapchat and TikTok for possible breaches of the law. Communica…
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