Australia Prepares Legal Action Against Meta, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube Over Under-16 Ban
The Australian government is set to bring five prominent social media platforms to the Federal Court due to alleged violations of its ban on under-16 users. On Monday, Communications Minister Anika Wells informed Bloomberg that legal proceedings against Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube are anticipated, stating, "It's not my decision, but I would expect it." This groundbreaking legislation, which was implemented in December, has revealed that numerous minors still maintain active accounts, primarily due to the platforms' ineffective age-verification methods. The maximum penalty for violations has now increased to $76 million (109.2 million Australian dollars), and eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant has acquired enhanced powers to collect evidence. Other nations are observing Australia's regulatory actions closely.
Key facts
- Australia's under-16 social media ban took effect in December
- Legal action is expected against Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube
- Communications Minister Anika Wells said legal action can be expected
- Maximum penalties for breaches doubled to $76 million (109.2 million Australian dollars)
- eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant can now demand documents and question employees
- Regulator found most underage users kept or opened accounts due to weak age verification
- Other countries are watching Australia's enforcement efforts
- The U.S. criticized Australia's "My Feed, My Way" algorithm opt-out proposal as censorship
Entities
Artists
- Anika Wells
- Julie Inman Grant
Institutions
- Meta
- TikTok
- Snapchat
- YouTube
- Bloomberg
- Federal Court of Australia
- eSafety Commissioner
- Australian government
- Depositphotos
- PetaPixel
- X
- House of Lords
- National Assembly
Locations
- Australia
- United States
- United Kingdom
- France
- Spain
- Denmark
- Norway
- Indonesia
- India
- Malaysia