The Australian government internet regulator eSafety released a report on social media companies’ compliance with a new law that bans children under 16 from social media. File Photo by Adam Vaughan/EPA
Australia said that social media companies aren’t doing enough to prevent young teens from having accounts and that it will have to begin enforcement.
The country’s social media regulator released a report on the social media landscape four months after a landmark law went into effect banning those younger than 16 from 10 platforms.
The agency, eSafety, said it has “significant concerns” about compliance from Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube.
“As a result of those concerns, I have announced today we are now moving from a compliance monitoring to an enforcement stance. eSafety has a range of enforcement powers available, including civil penalties of up to $49.5 million, but enforcement action demands sufficient evidence and that takes time to gather and hold up in a court of law,” Julie Inman Grant, eSafety commissioner, said in a statement.
The report listed four key concerns: that messages to children encouraged them to keep trying to declare they were old enough, despite their declared age before the ban took effect; some platforms allowed children to keep trying to get their age verified to be 16 or older; reporting on age-restricted accounts has not been accessible; and some platforms haven’t done enough to prevent children from having access.
“The evidence must establish the platform has not taken reasonable steps to prevent children aged under 16 from having an account,” Inman Grant said. “That means more than simply demonstrating some children do still have accounts. Rather, the evidence must show the platform has not implemented appropriate systems and processes.”
In January, eSafety said 4.7 million accounts had been restricted or removed in the first month.
A spokesperson for Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Threads, told the BBC that it is “committed to complying with Australia’s social media ban.”
Snap, which developed Snapchat, said it had locked 450,000 accounts and “continues to lock more every day.”
Historic March moments through the years
Founder of the Women’s Tennis Association and tennis great Billie Jean King (C) smiles with representatives after speaking during an annual Women’s History Month event in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Title IX in Statuary Hall at the U.S .Capitol in Washington on March 9, 2022. Women’s History Month is celebrated every March. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
