Australian government accuses Meta, TikTok and Google of disobeying social media ban

Nearly 70% of under-16s with accounts on Instagram, Snapchat or TikTok had maintained access, survey found

A survey of 900 Australian parents found about a third (31%) said their children still had one or more social media accounts after the ban.

The Australian government has accused big tech firms like Meta, TikTok and Google of disobeying the landmark ban on under-16s using social media, after the country’s online safety office warned many children had accounts.

A survey of 900 Australian parents found about a third (31%) said their children still had one or more social media accounts after the ban, compared to 49% before the laws.

Of the total number of under 16s who had accounts on Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok before the ban, 70% had maintained access, the survey found.

Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube are all under investigation for potential non-compliance with the rules, with Australia’s communications minister, Anika Wells, alleging the companies were not doing enough to enforce the ban.

The eSafety Commission claimed the technology being used by the companies — such as facial age estimation — was not effective enough, and alleged the firms had lax guardrails which allowed teens to repeatedly attempt age verification until they were successful.

“None of this is impossible. None of this is even difficult for big tech, who are innovative billion dollar companies. What this update shows is unacceptable,” Ms Wells said.

If these companies want to do business in Australia, they must obey Australian laws.

The social media minimum age laws specify Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, Twitch, X, YouTube, Kick and Reddit are “age-restricted platforms”, banning under-16s from holding accounts and requiring those companies to take reasonable steps to prevent children from opening or holding accounts.

The laws, which came into effect last December, carry a maximum A$49.5m (€30m) penalty. Ms Wells said eSafety was continuing to gather evidence before it decided whether to pursue such fines against any company.

“What we are seeing is evidence of the absolute bare minimum from social media companies, it’s straight out of the big tech playbook … They obfuscate, they try to throw doubt on any regulation,” she said.

"They want you all to report today that the laws are failing. That helps them in their quest to reduce regulation, to minimise it the world over. So I’m not surprised by any of this. We expected this."

In a statement, Meta said it was committed to complying with the social media ban and working with eSafety and the government.

“We’ve also been clear that accurately determining age online is a challenge for the whole industry, particularly at the age‑16 boundary where the government’s own Age Assurance Technology Trial noted ‘natural error margins’.

“The most effective, privacy‑protective and consistent approach is to require robust age verification and parental approval at the app store and operating system level before a teen can download an app or create an account.” 

TikTok and Google were contacted for comment but did not respond by publication time.

The Australian government has trumpeted the success of the ban, including promoting it at the United Nations in New York, but anecdotal reports many children remained online have dented the policy’s outcome.

The Guardian