Australian regulator probes Facebook, YouTube over teen social media ban
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SYDNEY: A host of tech giants, including Facebook and YouTube, are under investigation for potentially breaching Australia's world-leading social media ban for under-16s, the nation's online watchdog said Tuesday (Mar 31).
Australia in December banned users under 16 from the world's largest social media platforms, citing the need to protect them from "predatory algorithms" and online bullying.
There were "significant concerns" that Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube may have breached the ban, eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said.
"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."
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Possible breaches included providing "insufficient measures to prevent new under-16 accounts being created".
"As a result, we are now moving into an enforcement stance," said Inman Grant.
Inman Grant said "powerful" tech interests were always expected to push back against the laws, likening their efforts to "Big Tobacco".
"This reform is unwinding 20 years of entrenched social media practices," said Inman Grant.
"Durable, generational change takes time - but these platforms have the capability to comply today and we certainly expect companies operating in Australia to comply with our safety laws."
A growing body of research suggests too much time online is taking a toll on teen well-being.
Australia's ban has been widely hailed as a godsend for parents sick of seeing children glued to their phones.
Malaysia, France, New Zealand and Indonesia are among the nations now eyeing similar measures.
Social media companies bear the sole responsibility for checking Australia-based users are 16 or older.
Some platforms have said they would use AI tools to estimate ages based on photos, while young users could also choose to prove their age by uploading government ID.
"LEGALLY ERRONEOUS"
While most tech companies have pledged to abide by Australian laws, they have warned that the heavy-handed move could simply push teens to darker, less-regulated corners of the internet.
Initial impacts of the legislation "suggest it is not meeting its objectives of increasing the safety and well-being of young Australians", Meta argued in January.
Meta said parents and experts were worried about the ban isolating young people from online communities.
Online discussion site Reddit has filed a legal challenge against Australia's ban, which it described as "legally erroneous".
The US-based company said there were serious privacy concerns associated with platforms verifying age, with the collection of personal data creating a risk of leaks or hacks.
Reddit's challenge is yet to be heard in Australia's High Court.
ENFORCEMENT CHALLENGES, PLATFORM RESPONSIBILITY IN FOCUS: ANALYST
Nicholas Carah, director of the Centre for Digital Cultures and Societies at the University of Queensland, told CNA’s Asia Now that it was not surprising regulators are now probing whether platforms have done enough to enforce the ban.
He noted that while tech companies moved to comply when the law was introduced, the focus has now shifted to whether platforms have taken “reasonable steps” to ensure there are no “systematic breaches” of the rules.
Carah said enforcement remains difficult, as young users are highly motivated to stay on social media.
“One thing we've learned from watching two decades of millennials and Generation Z using digital media is they are unbelievably creative,” he said.
“These platforms are really central to their identities and social networks, so they're really motivated to stay connected because it's how they stay connected to their friends.”
But he cautioned that it is too early to determine whether the ban is working.
While the restrictions could benefit some young people, he said they may also disrupt others.
“It's going to substantially change the way they socialise with one another … that's going to have benefits to young people, but it's going to have really significant consequences to other young people because they're going to experience it as such a significant disruption to their social lives.”
Carah said the debate in Australia also comes amid a broader push towards holding platforms more accountable, pointing to a recent landmark United States trial in which Meta and Google were found liable over social media addiction.
“It's saying: 'Look, yes, the content can be harmful, but if you amplify that harm by using algorithmic recommendation, then you have a specific responsibility for that.'”
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