Communications Minister Anika Wells said on October 19 that Australia’s eSafety Commissioner is expected to file Federal Court cases against Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube over allegations they failed to comply with the country’s social media ban for users under 16.

The eSafety Commissioner, Australia’s online safety regulator, opened investigations into the five platforms in March.

A July report from the regulator found most underage users could keep existing accounts or create new ones, largely because the platforms’ age checks were ineffective.

The law requires platforms to take reasonable steps to stop under-16 users from holding accounts. The government has doubled the maximum penalty for breaches to A$109.2 million (US$76.1 million) and expanded eSafety’s investigative powers.

Regulatory guidance says age checks should go beyond self-declared ages.

Meta, TikTok, and Snap previously said they oppose the ban, but would comply. The companies contacted for comment did not immediately respond to Wells’ remarks.

🔗 Source: Bloomberg

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