Australia Prepares Court Action Against Five Platforms Over Under-16 Rule

Australian Communications Minister Anika Wells expects the country’s online safety regulator to take five major platforms to court over suspected breaches of its under-16 account restrictions, escalating enforcement against global technology firms.

The potential cases involve Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube. Australia’s eSafety Commissioner began investigating the five in March, examining their compliance with the under-16 restrictions.

The restrictions had been in effect for about a year. A July report found that most under-16s could still keep or create social media accounts. Weak age checks were the main factor.

Australia doubled the maximum penalty for violations to about $76 million. It also gave the regulator power to demand records from platforms and summon current or former employees to answer questions.

Wells said eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant is using those powers to gather evidence for proceedings in Federal Court.