Big Tech Warned as ‘Substantial’ Volume of Teens Bypass Australia’s Social Media Ban

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant has put Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube on notice over potential breaches of Australia’s social media ban for under-16-year-olds.

Australia’s online safety watchdog said it has “significant concerns” about compliance with a “substantial proportion” of teenagers still circumventing the ban.

Penalties include a potential $49.5 million fine.

eSafety Commissioner Inman Grant warned that despite early steps by social media companies, many were still falling short.

“While social media platforms have taken some initial action, I am concerned through our compliance monitoring that some may not be doing enough to comply with Australian law,” Inman Grant said.

“As a result, we are now moving into an enforcement stance.”

Five million under 16 social media accounts have been removed, deactivated or restricted due since the ban came into effect.

In 2024, the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 passed the Australian Parliament and came into force in December 2025.

The law requires platforms to take reasonable steps to stop Australians aged under 16 from owning a social media account amid ongoing concerns of mental health, cyber bullying, and addiction from prolonged usage.

‘Substantial’ Number of Children Bypassing Ban: Report

The eSafety commissioner’s latest report found many children were still bypassing the law.

“Many children aged under 16 still have their accounts or can create new accounts,” the report on March 31 (pdf) said.

“Despite overall reductions in account ownership, a substantial number of children aged under 16 retain accounts.”

The regulator also flagged other compliance issues.

For example, children who declared they were 16 prior to the ban were still being asked to verify their age, while some were being asked multiple times, which raises the opportunity to get around the ban.

In terms of penalising Big Tech firms, Inman Grant said “sufficient evidence” would be required first.

“The evidence must establish the platform has not taken reasonable steps to prevent children aged under 16 from having an account,” she 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.”

Labor Backs eSafety to ‘Throw the Book’ at Non Compliant Firms

Communications Minister Anika Wells said the Albanese government was putting social media companies on notice.

“The kinds of tactics we’re seeing deployed by social media platforms to undermine Australia’s world-leading law are right out of the Big Tech playbook,” Wells said.

“This new report from eSafety commissioner shows that social media giants seem to be trying to get away with doing the bare minimum—I have serious concerns about their compliance with the law.”

Wells said she backed the eSafety regulator to “throw the book” at uncooperative firms.

In response, Shadow Communications Manager Sarah Henderson blamed the Labor government for “failing” to keep children safe.

“Labor’s social media ban is riddled with defects and does nothing to mitigate the harm caused to thousands of children who are either dodging the ban or fall outside its scope,” Henderson said.

“I also challenge Communications Minister Anika Wells’ claim that 5 million under-16s social media accounts have been shut down which is not supported by data released by the platforms.