Australia’s eSafety Flags Major Platforms for Weak Age Enforcement

Australia’s online safety regulator, eSafety, has raised serious concerns about the compliance of five major social media platforms with the country’s Social Media Minimum Age (SMMA) law, which bans users under 16 from having accounts.

In its first compliance report, eSafety highlighted Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube for significant gaps in meeting their legal obligations. While the platforms have made some progress – such as large-scale removals of underage accounts and improved reporting pathways – major shortcomings persist just three months after the law took effect on 10 December 2025.

The report identifies several poor practices, including:

• Prompting children to attempt age assurance even when they had previously declared an age under 16.
• Allowing under-16 users to repeatedly try the same age verification method until they achieve a 16+ result.
• Failing to provide accessible and effective ways for users or parents to report age-restricted accounts.
• Insufficient measures to stop new accounts being created by children under 16.

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant warned that the regulator is shifting to a formal enforcement stance and actively gathering evidence for potential action. “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,” she said.

eSafety stressed that durable generational change takes time but expects platforms operating in Australia to comply fully—or face escalating consequences, including reputational damage globally. The regulator will continue investigations, with decisions on enforcement action targeted for mid-2026. Some details remain confidential to protect ongoing probes.