Australia to sue 5 tech giants over under-16 social media ban

Australia is set to initiate a legal battle against five tech giants including Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat over violating the under-16 social media ban.

As reported by Bloomberg, the announcement of taking legal actions on these digital platforms came from Australian Communications Minister Anika Wells in Sydney during an interview.

In March, the eSafety Commissioner, Australia’s independent online safety regulator initiated an investigation into these five platforms, alleging that they failed to comply with the law.

In an effort to safeguard minors from online harm, the legislation mandates that social media providers implement reasonable measures to restrict underage account ownership.

The Australian government also expanded eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant’s investigative powers, allowing her to demand documents from social media platforms and summon current or former employees for questioning.

"Now she has more powers to be able to gather the evidence that she needs to take those five companies to the Federal Court,” Wells said. "She’s now using those powers to prepare her case.”

According to an eSafety report in July, the regulator found that these tech platforms were found ineffective in keeping age checks, letting the users keep their accounts and create new ones.

In December 2025, Australia became the first country to ban social media for under 16s. Any platform that violates the ban will face a penalty of AUD 109.2 million.

Meta and TikTok have not yet responded to the report.