NewKerala.com

Australia Probes Social Media Giants Over Under-16 Ban Compliance

The Australian government is investigating five major social media platforms for potential non-compliance with its pioneering ban on users under 16. The eSafety Commissioner's report cites "significant concerns" and "poor practices," such as flawed age verification methods. Communications Minister Anika Wells has warned that companies must obey Australian laws, with fines of up to AU$49.5 million for violations. Since the ban took effect in December, over 4.7 million accounts identified as belonging to children have been deactivated.

Key Points: Australia Investigates Social Media Firms for Under-16 Ban Breach

  • Five platforms under investigation
  • Fines up to AU$49.5 million possible
  • Over 4.7 million child accounts deactivated
  • "Poor practices" in age verification identified
2 min read

Australian govt investigating social media giants for non-compliance with under-16 ban

Australia's eSafety Commissioner investigates five platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, for potential non-compliance with the world-first under-16 social media ban.

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

Canberra, March 31

The Australian government said on Tuesday that it is investigating five social media platforms for failing to comply with the country's world-first social media ban for children younger than 16.

In its first report on the social media minimum age obligation, the federal government's eSafety Commissioner said on Tuesday that it has "significant concerns" about the compliance of the social media giants, including Facebook and Instagram, with the laws that came into effect in December.

Under those laws, social media companies that fail to take reasonable steps to prevent children younger than 16 from accessing their platforms face fines worth up to 49.5 million Australian dollars ($33.9 million).

The eSafety Commissioner report said that it has identified "poor practices," including platforms allowing children to repeatedly attempt age assurance methods to obtain a 16+ outcome and failing to provide pathways for reporting age-restricted accounts.

It said that the five platforms have been notified about the specific issues and an investigation into potential non-compliance has commenced.

Australia's Minister for Communications Anika Wells said in a statement that she expects the online safety watchdog to "throw the book" at companies that have systematically failed to uphold their legal obligations, Xinhua news agency reported.

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

The eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, said that her office is now moving into an enforcement stage of the social media ban.

As of January, over 4.7 million accounts belonging to children were deactivated in the first days of Australia's world-first social media ban for under-16s.

Data released by the government's eSafety commissioner had revealed that social media companies removed access to around 4.7 million accounts identified as belonging to children under 16 in the days after the ban took effect on December 10.

- IANS

Share this article:

Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
Good move, but enforcement is the real challenge. These companies have deep pockets and clever lawyers. 4.7 million accounts deactivated is impressive, but how many slipped through? The "repeated attempts" loophole they mention is exactly what kids will exploit.
A
Aman W
While I appreciate the intent, a blanket ban might not be the best solution. What about educational content or platforms for learning? Parental guidance and digital literacy education are equally important. A complete ban feels like treating the symptom, not the cause.
S
Sarah B
"If these companies want to do business in Australia, they must obey Australian laws." - More countries need to take this strong stance. Tech giants often act like they are above the law. This sets a powerful precedent for user safety, especially for the young.
V
Vikram M
The fines need to be even bigger to really hurt their profits. $33 million is pocket change for Meta. Until it impacts their bottom line significantly, they won't fix their systems properly. Hope the Indian government is watching and learning.
K
Kavya N
As a parent, I fully support this. It's so difficult to monitor what your child is doing online every minute. Having the law and the platforms share this responsibility is a huge relief. Hope our policymakers consider the mental well-being of our Gen Z.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50