Australia Threatens Legal Action Over Under-16 Social Media Ban Breaches

Australia has warned it could take legal action against major social media companies, accusing them of failing to enforce a national ban on users under 16 and allowing children to remain on their platforms.

The country’s “world-first” law banning social media use for children under 16 came into effect in December. But on Tuesday, the Australian government announced that companies including Meta, TikTok, and Google were not complying with the rules after the national online safety regulator found many children still had active accounts.

According to a report by The Guardian, a survey of 900 Australian parents found that 31% said their children continued to have one or more social media accounts after the ban, down from 49% before the law was introduced.

The survey also found that 70% of under-16 users who had accounts on Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok before the ban were still able to access those platforms.

Authorities confirmed that Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube are under investigation for possible breaches of the law. Australia’s communications minister, Anika Wells, says the companies were not doing enough to enforce the restrictions.

“None of this is impossible. None of this is even difficult for big tech, who are innovative billion dollar companies,” Wells says. “If these companies want to do business in Australia, they must obey Australian laws.”

The government says it will decide on any penalties by mid-2026. Under the law, platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, and X can face fines of up to $33 million (50 million Australian dollars) for systemic failures to prevent children under 16 from holding accounts.

Officials and campaigners have defended the ban as necessary to protect children from harmful content and addictive platform features. The policy is being closely watched internationally.

The U.K. looks like it will follow Australia’s ban. In January, the House of Lords backed an amendment to the government’s Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill supporting a ban on social media use for under-16s. France’s National Assembly has also approved legislation to ban social media use for children under 15. Meanwhile, in February, Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez said that he plans to introduce a similar under-16 ban, while Denmark has said it will also move to ban social media use for children under 15. Other countries, including Norway, Indonesia, India, and Malaysia, are also considering similar measures.

Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.