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Australia’s top internet safety regulator says major social media companies are failing to adequately enforce a nationwide ban preventing children under 16 from using their platforms, months after the law took effect.

The legislation, introduced in December, prohibits users under 16 from accessing 10 major platforms. However, the eSafety office reports “significant concerns” about whether Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube are meeting their obligations.

The policy — closely observed by governments including the United Kingdom — was championed by officials and advocacy groups as a necessary step to shield minors from harmful material and addictive platform designs. Tech companies, including Meta and Snap, have criticized the framework as flawed, though they maintain they are working to comply.

In its first compliance report since the restrictions were enacted, the regulator pointed to “a number of poor practices” across the five companies. Among the issues cited:

• Allowing users who previously declared they were under 16 to reassert that they are over 16
• Permitting repeated attempts at age verification by underage users
• Weak safeguards preventing new under-16 users from opening accounts
• Ineffective systems for parents and others to report underage account holders

Only limited data has been released since the law came into force. In January, regulators disclosed that 4.7 million accounts had been blocked or removed during the first month following the Dec. 10 rollout.

“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,” Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said.

The regulator, which had previously focused on monitoring, now says it will move toward enforcement and evidence collection.

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

The BBC has contacted all of the social media companies for comment.

A Meta spokesperson said the company is “committed to complying with Australia's social media ban.” The company added that accurate age verification remains a widespread industry challenge and argued that “robust age verification and parental approval” at the app store level would be more effective in protecting young users.

Snap said it has disabled 450,000 accounts and “continue to lock more every day.”

Despite the high-profile rollout of the policy, it is widely recognized that many under-16 users still access the platforms covered by the law, including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube, Reddit, as well as streaming services Kick and Twitch.

During a recent visit by the BBC to a Sydney school, most students who had used social media before the ban said they still retained access. Some reported never being asked to verify their age, while others described bypassing verification systems.

One student said that out of 180 girls in her year, only three had been removed from platforms.

Public reaction has been mixed. Many parents have expressed strong support, saying the law strengthens their ability to refuse children’s requests for social media access.

At the same time, critics — including technology specialists and child welfare advocates — argue that education about online risks would be more effective than outright restrictions.

Others have raised concerns about enforcement and equity, suggesting the ban disproportionately affects certain groups, including rural youth, disabled teenagers and LGBTQ+ individuals, who may rely more heavily on online communities.

On Tuesday, Inman Grant described the effort as a major shift in long-standing digital habits.

“The reform was ‘unwinding 20 years of entrenched social media practices’,” she said.

“Durable, generational change takes time - but these platforms have the capability to comply today,” Inman Grant said. “While the onus is on age-restricted platforms to take reasonable steps to keep children under 16 from having accounts, parents are proving pivotal partners in this cultural reset.

“We have heard from parents who have said the law is empowering them to say no to requests by their kids to have social media accounts.

“Any cultural change that pushes against the powerful interests and revenue potential of entrenched industry players - whether car manufacturers, Big Tobacco or Big Tech. Those players will push back but we continue to push ahead.”