Australia teen social media ban faces enforcement gaps
Australia’s landmark ban on social media use for under-16s is being undermined by weak enforcement from platforms rather than limitations in age-checking technology, according to an industry body.
The Age Verification Providers Association (AVPA), which represents companies supplying age verification tools, said the main issue is how platforms apply the technology—not whether it works, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
“The issue is not capability, it is application,” said AVPA executive director Iain Corby.
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The group argued that early problems with the rollout highlight the need for stricter enforcement and clearer expectations for social media companies.
Australia’s eSafety regulator is currently investigating major platforms, including Meta Platforms (Facebook and Instagram), Alphabet (YouTube), Snap Inc, and TikTok, over suspected breaches of the law.
Under the legislation, platforms could face fines of up to A$49.5 million per violation. Authorities have warned they may pursue Federal Court action if compliance does not improve.
Despite the law being in force since December, regulators say gaps remain in how platforms verify users’ ages.
According to the AVPA report, age assurance systems can work effectively at scale, but platforms often fail to deploy them consistently—especially during account sign-up.
Other issues include:
Continued reliance on self-declared ages
Users repeatedly attempting verification until successful
Limited re-checking of existing accounts
The report also flagged over-reliance on internal algorithms that estimate age based on user behavior, rather than robust verification methods.
Regulatory data shows millions of suspected underage accounts have been removed since the ban took effect. However, enforcement gaps continue to allow some minors to bypass restrictions.
The findings challenge claims by social media companies that age verification technology is not yet reliable enough, instead placing responsibility on how these tools are implemented.
As scrutiny increases, Australia’s approach could become a global test case for regulating youth access to social media platforms.
By Aysel Mammadzada
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