Australia investigates social media platforms for failing age verification
Australia opened investigations into Meta, TikTok, YouTube and Snapchat for reportedly failing to comply with regulations that ban users under 16 from social media platforms, despite the law taking effect in December 2025. The eSafety Commission found over 5 million underage accounts had been removed, indicating many platforms failed to fully implement age verification controls.
What happened
Australia opened an investigation into Meta, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat and Facebook on suspicion they failed to comply with regulations banning users under 16 years old from using their services, according to reports from March 31, 2026.
The regulations came into effect in December 2025 and require social media platforms to verify user age and prevent under-16s from creating or maintaining accounts. Australian Communications Minister Anika Wells stated the technology companies had 'not complied with the law' despite the rules having been in effect for several months.
Reported impact
The Australian eSafety Commission reported that over 5 million accounts belonging to underage users had been removed, indicating the scale of the compliance problem.
According to officials, many platforms had not fully implemented necessary controls or deployed them ineffectively, causing the government to consider strict enforcement measures.
Governance controls
Australia enacted one of the world's strictest laws aimed at protecting children online, with regulations effective from December 2025 requiring age verification and restrictions on users under 16.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.