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Social media giants are not complying with under-16s social media ban, new report finds

The Conversation · · 926 words · By Lisa M Given

The article discusses Australia's social media ban for under-16s, detailing eSafety's compliance report, challenges in enforcement, and unresolved questions about platform compliance. It highlights technical issues with age verification, evolving platform landscapes, and legislative gaps.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://theconversation.com/social-media-giants-are-not-complying-with-under-16s…

analyticsAnalysis

0%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 100%
Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

23 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

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help Insufficient Evidence 7
verified Verified By Reference 3
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“Nearly four months into Australia’s social media ban for under-16s, the online regulator today released its first detailed compliance update report.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
All cited Wikipedia sources are unrelated to Australia's social media ban or compliance reports. No evidence confirms the claim about the regulator's report.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands. It has a total area of 7,688…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Australia's Got Talent is an Australian reality television talent show. The show is based on the Got Talent series format that originated in the United Kingdom with Simon Cowell. The first six seasons…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia's_Got_Talent
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Australia's Voice (AV) is an Australian political party founded in 2024 by independent and former Labor senator Fatima Payman. The party supports recognition of Palestinian statehood, as well as progr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia's_Voice
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“Since the ban took effect on December 10 last year, I have spoken with journalists from Canada, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and elsewhere.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia sources mention Germany-Japan relations, international journalists' organizations, and centenarians, but none reference journalists inquiring about Australia's social media ban.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Germany–Japan relations (German: Deutsch-japanische Beziehungen; Japanese: 日独関係, romanized: Nichidokukankei) are the current and historical relations between the Federal Republic of Germany and Japan.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany–Japan_relations
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The International Organization of Journalists (IOJ, French: Organisation internationale des journalistes) was an international press workers' organization based in Prague, Czechoslovakia, during the C…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Organization_of_…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The following is a list of lists of notable centenarians by categorized occupation (people who lived to be or are currently living at 100 years or more of age) that are therein known for reasons other…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_centenarians
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“Some 4.7 million accounts were removed by mid-January and another 310,000 by early March.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia sources provide general information about Australia, the month of March, and protests, but none mention account removal statistics related to the social media ban.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands. It has a total area of 7,688…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — March is the current month, and the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — March for Australia was a series of nationwide protests in many Australian cities that occurred on 31 August 2025, 19 October 2025 and 26 January 2026 (Australia Day). The protests aimed to express di…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_for_Australia
help
“Messaging to under-16s on some platforms encouraged children to attempt age assurance even where they declared themselves to be underage.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in Wikipedia or web search results to support or refute the claim about platforms encouraging age assurance attempts.
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“Some platforms enabled under-16s to repeatedly attempt the same age-assurance method to ultimately pass age checks.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in Wikipedia or web search results to support or refute the claim about platforms allowing repeated age-assurance attempts.
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“Pathways for reporting age-restricted accounts have generally not been accessible and effective, particularly for parents.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in Wikipedia or web search results to support or refute the claim about inaccessible reporting mechanisms for age-restricted accounts.
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“Some platforms appear not to have done enough to prevent under-16s having accounts.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in Wikipedia or web search results to support or refute the claim about platforms failing to prevent under-16s from creating accounts.
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“The eSafety Commissioner is now investigating Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube for potential non-compliance.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in Wikipedia or web search results to support or refute the claim about the eSafety Commissioner investigating specific platforms.
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“A new legislative rule was implemented to ensure the definition of social media platforms includes those with addictive or harmful design features.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in Wikipedia or web search results to support or refute the claim about legislative rules defining social media platforms with harmful designs.
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“The rule change was implemented in the same week Meta and Google were found liable by a U.S. jury for their platforms' addictive features.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in Wikipedia or web search results to support or refute the claim about the rule change timing relative to Meta and Google's U.S. liability case.
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“The removal of more than 5 million accounts in four months sounds impressive. But this does not equal the number of social media users.”
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“Many people hold several social media accounts. So it remains unclear how many children under 16 still remain on one or more platforms.”
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“The report also does not estimate the number of under-16s who now use alternative platforms.”
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“There have been reports of a significant spike in downloads of non-mainstream platforms since December.”
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“The report acknowledges the social media landscape is 'constantly evolving' and that it’s impossible to maintain a complete list of platforms under age restrictions.”
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“eSafety maintains a list of the initial platforms included under the ban legislation, and those that have self-identified and agreed to comply.”
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“Reports point to the legislation’s 'loophole' for gaming apps and exclusions for messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Messenger.”
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“Roblox, which was initially considered under the ban and then exempted, has also made headlines related to child safety.”
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“It is currently being reviewed by the government over concerns about child grooming.”
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“The report says this is 'ultimately a question for the courts to determine'.”
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“The report explains that defining what steps are reasonable must be considered 'in the context of the platform’s service, technological feasibility, and the regulatory landscape'.”
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“The report also does not estimate the number of under-16s who now use alternative platforms.”
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“The government has completed consultation on its digital duty of care legislation. But it is still unclear when this legislation will be introduced.”
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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.