Australia to Sue Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube Over Under-16 Social Media Ban Breaches

Legal Action Planned

Australia's government is set to sue Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube for alleged breaches of the country's nationwide social media ban for under-16s, Communications Minister Anika Wells said in an interview in Sydney on Oct 19. Wells said she expected legal action to proceed against the five platforms, which also include Instagram.

The eSafety Commissioner, the country's online safety regulator, said in March that it was investigating Facebook and Instagram, both owned by Meta Platforms, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube for potentially failing to adhere to the law. The legislation requires the companies to take reasonable steps to stop underage users from holding social media accounts, as part of a bid to protect them from harmful online content.

Age Check Failures

An eSafety report in July found that most underage social media users were able to keep their accounts or create new ones, largely due to a lack of effective age checks on the platforms. The findings formed the basis of the regulator's case against the companies.

Last week, Wells told the National Press Club that companies are not doing enough to adhere to social media age restrictions. "The law is not failing, platforms are failing to comply with the law," she said in an Oct 15 speech. "We won't flinch at holding tech companies to account."

Higher Fines and New Powers

Since Australia's world-first ban came into force in 2025, the government has doubled the maximum penalty for breaches to A$109.2 million (S$97.5 million). The government also granted eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant greater investigative powers, including the ability to demand documents from social media platforms and summon current or former employees to answer questions.

"Now she has more powers to be able to gather the evidence that she needs to take those five companies to the Federal Court," Wells said. "She's now using those powers to prepare her case."

Spokespersons for Meta and eSafety had no immediate comments. Representatives for Snapchat owner Snap, TikTok and its owner ByteDance, and YouTube parent Google did not immediately reply to e-mails seeking responses to the minister's comments. The eSafety Commissioner is an independent regulator, though part of the government and accountable to Australia's Parliament through the communications minister.

Sources: The Straits Times