Australian government investigates social media platforms for under-16s access violations
Consensus Summary
Australia’s government is investigating five major social media platforms—Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube—for potential noncompliance with a world-first ban on under-16s creating accounts. The eSafety Commissioner’s upcoming report reveals concerns that platforms allow repeated age-verification attempts, fail to block banned users from creating new accounts, and have poor reporting mechanisms for underage users. Over 4.7 million accounts were deactivated in the first two days of the ban, with Meta, Snapchat, and TikTok reporting hundreds of thousands of closures. The ban, introduced in December 2025, carries fines of up to $49.5 million for systemic failures, and the government has expanded the list of covered platforms to include those with features like infinite scroll and disappearing stories. While parent surveys show a drop in under-16 social media use from 49% to 31%, many children still retain access, raising questions about enforcement. The government accuses platforms of using ‘big tech playbook’ tactics to undermine the law, while tech companies argue age verification is inherently challenging. The investigation follows Australia’s role as the first country to raise the minimum age for social media access to 16, a move championed by News Corp’s ‘Let Them Be Kids’ campaign.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube are under investigation for potential noncompliance with Australia’s under-16 social media ban (NEWSCOMAU, ABC, GUARDIAN, SBS).
- The eSafety Commissioner’s compliance update is scheduled for release on Tuesday (NEWSCOMAU, ABC, GUARDIAN, SBS).
- Platforms are accused of allowing repeated attempts at age assurance until users pass (NEWSCOMAU, ABC, GUARDIAN, SBS).
- Over 4.7 million accounts were deactivated in the first two days after the ban took effect on December 10, 2025 (NEWSCOMAU, ABC, GUARDIAN).
- Meta (Facebook/Instagram) reported closing 550,000 accounts under the ban (NEWSCOMAU).
- Snapchat and TikTok combined closed 665,000 accounts (NEWSCOMAU).
- The maximum fine for systemic noncompliance is $49.5 million (NEWSCOMAU, ABC, GUARDIAN).
- The 10 platforms covered by the ban include Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, Twitch, X, Reddit, YouTube, Kick (NEWSCOMAU, ABC).
- A parent survey of 900 households found 31% of children still had social media accounts after the ban (GUARDIAN).
- Before the ban, 49% of children had social media accounts; after the ban, this dropped to 31% (GUARDIAN).
- The ban was implemented after News Corp’s ‘Let Them Be Kids’ campaign (NEWSCOMAU).
- Australia is the first country to raise the minimum age for social media access to 16 (NEWSCOMAU, ABC).
- eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman-Grant stated there were ‘teething issues’ with age-assurance technologies (ABC).
- The ban excludes Discord, WhatsApp, Roblox, and Google Classroom (ABC).
- The government expanded the definition of ‘platforms’ to include those with infinite scroll, feedback features, and time-limited content (ABC).
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Minister Anika Wells called the tactics used by platforms ‘right out of the big tech playbook’ and said they are ‘undermining Australia’s world-leading law’.
- The article lists 10 specific platforms covered by the ban: Meta brands (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp), Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, Twitch, X, and YouTube.
- Meta reported closing 550,000 accounts, while Snapchat and TikTok closed 665,000 combined.
- eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman-Grant said ‘if there’s egregious noncompliance, it will be pretty obvious pretty quickly’ and investigations will follow.
- The article mentions the government’s preliminary analysis found platforms made ‘meaningful attempts’ to remove underage users in the first two days.
- The definition of platforms was updated to include those with infinite scroll, feedback features (likes/upvotes), and time-limited elements (e.g., disappearing stories).
- The article includes a quote from Julie Inman-Grant: ‘If there’s egregious noncompliance, I think that will be pretty obvious pretty quickly and then we start an investigation.’
- A survey of 900 parents found 70% of children who had accounts on Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok before the ban still had access after it.
- The Guardian reports that eSafety claims platforms have ‘unacceptable systems’ and that some platforms encourage children to attempt age verification even if they declared an age under 16.
- The Guardian includes a quote from Anika Wells: ‘What we are seeing is evidence of the absolute bare minimum from social media companies, it’s straight out of the big tech playbook.’
- The Guardian states that facial age estimation had higher error rates for people close to the 16-year-old cut-off, and platforms knew some 14- or 15-year-olds would receive false results.
- The Guardian mentions that TikTok and Google did not respond to requests for comment by publication time.
- The Guardian reports that the government’s survey found 63.6% of children still had Facebook accounts, 69.1% Instagram, 69.4% Snapchat, and 69.3% TikTok after the ban.
- The article notes that platforms were making it easy to find ways to circumvent age-assurance measures.
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- NEWSCOMAU and ABC list 10 platforms covered by the ban, but NEWSCOMAU includes WhatsApp while ABC excludes it.
- NEWSCOMAU states 4.7 million accounts were closed since the ban, while ABC and GUARDIAN focus on the first two days (4.7 million) but do not specify how many were closed per platform.
- GUARDIAN reports that 70% of children retained access to Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok, while NEWSCOMAU does not provide this specific percentage breakdown for these platforms.
- ABC states that platforms made ‘meaningful attempts’ to remove underage users, while GUARDIAN and NEWSCOMAU emphasize systemic failures and ‘unacceptable’ practices.
- NEWSCOMAU and ABC mention the ban was implemented after News Corp’s campaign, but GUARDIAN does not explicitly state this origin.
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