Australian Government Investigates Five Social Media Giants for Non-Compliance with Rules

Canberra (ANTARA) - The Australian government announced on Tuesday that it is investigating five social media platforms for failing to comply with the world’s first social media ban for children under 16.

In its first report on social media minimum age obligations, the federal government’s eSafety Commissioner stated on Tuesday that it has “deep concerns” regarding the compliance of several social media giants, including Facebook and Instagram, with the law that took effect in December last year.

Under the law, social media companies that fail to take adequate steps to prevent children under 16 from accessing their platforms could face fines of up to AUD 49.5 million (AUD 1 = IDR 11,641) or approximately USD 33.9 million (USD 1 = IDR 16,993).

The eSafety Commissioner’s report mentioned that it found “poor practices,” including platforms allowing children to repeatedly attempt age verification methods to achieve a 16+ result, as well as failing to provide channels for reporting age-restricted accounts.

The report stated that the five platforms have been notified of these specific issues and investigations into potential non-compliance have begun.

In a statement, Australian Communications Minister Anika Wells hoped that the online safety regulator would “impose sanctions” on companies that systematically fail to meet their legal obligations.

“If these companies want to do business in Australia, they must comply with Australian law,” she said.

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said her office is now entering the enforcement phase regarding the social media ban.