Why Meta, TikTok, and Google are facing probe in Australia
What's the story
The Australian online safety office has launched an investigation into major tech companies including Meta, TikTok, and Google. The move comes after a survey revealed that many children still have accounts on these platforms despite a ban on under-16s using social media. The country's online safety office had warned about this issue earlier. The survey of 900 Australian parents found that around 31% said their kids still had one or more social media accounts after the ban was imposed.
Scrutiny
Investigation targets Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube
The investigation specifically targets Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube for possible non-compliance with the age restriction rules. Australia's Communications Minister Anika Wells has accused these companies of not doing enough to enforce the ban. The eSafety Commission said that technologies like facial age estimation employed by these companies were not effective enough in preventing underage access to their platforms.
Allegations
Companies accused of having lax guardrails
The eSafety Commission has also accused the companies of having lax guardrails. This allowed teens to try age verification multiple times until they succeeded. Wells said, "None of this is impossible. None of this is even difficult for big tech who are innovative billion dollar companies." She added that if these companies want to operate in Australia, they must comply with Australian laws.
Legal framework
A look at social media minimum age laws
The social media minimum age laws classify Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Twitch, X, YouTube, Kick, and Reddit as "age-restricted platforms." These laws prohibit under-16s from having accounts and require these firms to take reasonable steps to prevent children from opening or holding accounts. The regulations came into effect last December and carry a maximum penalty of A$49.5 million (US$33.9 million).
Company stance
Meta suggests solutions to age verification challenges
In response to the investigation, Meta has reiterated its commitment to complying with the social media ban and working with both eSafety and the government. The firm acknowledged that accurately determining age online is a challenge for the entire industry. It suggested that robust age verification and parental approval at app store and operating system level could be an effective solution, before teens can download an app or create an account.
Account status
Claims of millions of accounts being removed
The Australian government had previously said that over 4.7 million social media accounts were deactivated, removed or restricted in the first few days after the ban was enforced on December 10 last year. However, it did not provide a breakdown of how many accounts were removed from each platform. Despite these claims, anecdotal evidence of many children still being online has raised questions about the effectiveness of this policy.