Australia enforces social media ban for users under 16

Australia's authorities have warned social media platforms against implementing age verification for all users following the enactment of a significant ban on children under 16 accessing accounts. This ban, which was legislated last year, is set to take effect on December 10. The government introduced specific guidelines aimed at major platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X, and Instagram, emphasizing that the verification of age for all users would be unreasonable. The eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, highlighted that these platforms already possess sufficient data to determine whether a user is older than 16, thus negating the need for widespread re-verification. She further explained that the technologies used by these platforms can effectively target advertisements based on age, indicating they are capable of identifying users under 16 without implicating every account holder in the verification process. As the implementation date approaches, concerns have been raised about potential privacy impacts on older users who might have to verify their age as part of the enforcement. Inman Grant has described claims suggesting that every Australian account holder will face age verification as fearmongering. Furthermore, Communications Minister Anika Wells reiterated the government’s intent to safeguard users' data, noting that platforms like Facebook already have extensive information regarding user ages from prior activities. In anticipation of this new directive, both Wells and Inman Grant are scheduled to travel to the United States to discuss compliance guidelines with social media owners. The platforms must now provide evidence to the eSafety agency that they are taking reasonable steps to exclude children under the proposed age from accessing accounts. Despite this, authorities acknowledge that not all accounts held by under-16 users will vanish immediately on the enforcement date; instead, the focus will be on identifying systemic failures in policies and technology application. This approach reflects the government's understanding of the nuances and potential inaccuracies of existing age verification technologies and shifts the responsibility of compliance onto the platforms themselves.