Tech firms push back on Australia under-16 ban data

Australia's biggest social media platforms told lawmakers Thursday not to read too much into early figures showing most children are still finding ways onto their services, even as regulators push to toughen penalties and enforcement powers under the country's landmark under-16 ban.

Local executives from Google, Meta, Snapchat and TikTok appeared before a Senate inquiry as lawmakers cited multiple studies, including data from Australia's internet regulator, showing roughly 80% of minors remained on social media months after the ban took effect in December.

The session exposed a widening gap between lawmakers and the platforms over whether the policy is actually working, with eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant weighing legal action against companies she accuses of slow-walking compliance.

Inman Grant told the inquiry that March data showed platforms were struggling to stop underage users from creating and recreating accounts but said the ban was still showing modest early signs of success.

"We are seeing change, but we need to give it time," she said, adding that enforcement actions still to come would drive further shifts in behaviour.

The inquiry is weighing amendments that would double maximum penalties to A$99 million and give the commissioner expanded power to compel documents from platforms and their age-verification vendors during investigations.

Meta stated that it has closed 756,000 Instagram and Facebook user accounts believed to belong to underage persons, rising sharply from the previous 500,000 reported in March.

According to Rachel Lord, the regional head of policy at YouTube, Google is now blocking around 740,000 account owners from accessing the platform but added that the last compliance figures published by the government were in March.

According to TikTok, it deactivated 550,000 user accounts at the onset of implementation of the law and has since been deactivating an average of 24,000 accounts per month.

The Australia policy lead at Meta, Mia Garlick, contended that surveys indicating the continued access of the platforms by teens may not be reflective of their owning active user accounts.