Australian regulators investigate tech giants for violating social media ban

MaticHoleFiller · 2026-04-03T15:44:48+00:00

Australia's internet regulator eSafety announced on Tuesday that it is investigating five of the largest social media platforms to determine whether they have violated the new restrictions aimed at minors. This is the strongest signal the agency has sent, indicating that companies could face enforcement actions under the world's first regulatory framework of its kind.The announcement marks Australia's first public assessment of compliance with the law, which is attracting attention from policymakers worldwide. If major platforms fail to effectively adhere to the regulations, it could weaken the momentum for other countries to consider implementing similar restrictions.Australian eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant stated that Facebook and Instagram under Meta, Snapc

MaticHoleFiller

2026-04-03 15:44:48

Australia’s internet regulator eSafety said Tuesday that it is launching an investigation into the five largest social media platforms to determine whether they may have violated the agency’s newly issued restrictions targeting minors. This is the agency’s strongest signal yet, indicating that companies may face enforcement action under this regulatory framework, which is set to be the first of its kind worldwide.

The announcement marks the first time the Australian government has publicly assessed compliance with the law, which is drawing attention from policymakers around the world. If major platforms fail to effectively comply with the relevant legislation, it could weaken the momentum among governments in other countries that are considering taking similar restriction measures.

Australian eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said that Facebook and Instagram under Meta, Snapchat, and YouTube under Google have all been accused of possible violations, and the regulator is collecting evidence to decide whether to impose penalties.

“While social media platforms have already taken some preliminary steps, through our compliance oversight, I’m concerned that some platforms may not be adequately fulfilling their obligations under Australian law,” she said in a statement.

“We are now taking enforcement action,” Grant added.

Under Australian law, platforms that fail to comply with the rules will face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars (about 34 million US dollars). The regulator also said Tuesday that if the platforms are found to have violated the relevant law, they will suffer reputational damage as well.

eSafety said it found major gaps across platforms in complying with the bans, including requiring children who previously reported being under 16 to redo age verification, allowing children to repeat age verification until the result exceeds 16, having insufficient channels for reporting minors’ accounts, and lacking adequate safeguards to prevent minors from registering new accounts.

The regulator said it has informed each platform of the specific issues and required improvements.

View Original

This page may contain third-party content, which is provided for information purposes only (not representations/warranties) and should not be considered as an endorsement of its views by Gate, nor as financial or professional advice. See Disclaimer for details.

2 Likes