Australia’s online safety regulator is investigating Meta Platforms Inc., Snap Inc., TikTok and YouTube for possible breaches of the country’s under-16 social media ban, in the first formal evaluation of the response of large technology companies to this unprecedented measure worldwide.
In its first compliance report, released Tuesday, eSafety expressed deep concern about platforms’ compliance with the law and pointed out significant deficiencies in their control measures. According to the regulator, there are not enough security measures to prevent minors under 16 from creating new accounts, and some platforms allow minors to repeatedly try the same age verification methods until successful. The law went into effect on December 10, 2025.
The assessment opens the door to fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars (US$34 million), and eSafety has begun collecting evidence for possible legal action. The report highlights the There are concerns that minors will find ways to circumvent age controls and that technology companies will be reluctant to prevent this.
The report is published just days after Alphabet Inc.’s Meta and Google were found responsible for the mental health problems of a 20-year-old American woman, which she said were caused by her social media addiction, and were ordered to pay compensation. The verdict has raised concerns that social media companies face a situation similar to that of Big Tobacco: a possible crack in their legal protection from liability for what happens on their platforms.
ESafety stated that its goal is to finish at least some of its investigations and decide on coercive measures starting in the middle of the year. According to what he indicated, he is investigating Facebook and Instagram —both owned by Meta—, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube, owned by Google.
“These platforms have the ability to comply today, and we expect businesses operating in Australia to comply with our safety laws,” online safety commissioner Julie Inman Grant said in a statement. «They can choose to do so or face escalating consequences, including a deep deterioration in their reputation with governments and consumers around the world.».
In a statement, Meta said it was committed to complying with the ban and collaborating constructively with eSafety and the government. «We’ve also made it clear that accurately determining age online represents a challenge for the entire industry.», added Meta.
In some cases, Minors are being pressured to prove that they are over 16, even when they have already declared themselves to be minors, according to the regulatory body.. For enforcement to be effective, evidence must be presented to demonstrate that the platform has not taken reasonable steps to prevent minors under 16 from having an account.
Although there are fewer children under 16 with social media accounts than four months ago, it is clear that a significant number of children under 16 still use them, eSafety has stated.
