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TRANSCRIPT:
Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube are under investigation for potential breaches of Australia's social media ban for under 16s.
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant says her office has been monitoring compliance since the ban came into force on December 10.
"We're assessing what they've done and where they are falling short. Now, I want to reassure you - if a platform has not taken the reasonable steps they need to comply, we will take action. That's our role and we're committed to it."
In a compliance report, her office says there's been some progress in the first three months, including large-scale account removals and more visible underage reporting pathways.
But major gaps remain.
Communications Minister Anika Wells has told Channel Seven the social media platforms need to do better or risk hefty fines.
"It is not good enough for big tech to offer kids multiple attempts to get in through photo scanning. It's not good enough for big tech to say 'do you want to check your age ahead of 10 December coming in?' And the biggest reason that kids haven't been thrown off social media platforms, as you see in the compliance report, is because big tech hasn't even asked their age."
Associate Professor of Psychology at LaTrobe University in Melbourne, Doctor Glen Hosking, says the social media platforms present real dangers to all users.
"Very addictive. So, these platforms have algorithms that encourage everyone to stay on for as long as possible and this can be incredibly addictive. Together with that, they are always accessible and so what we often find is that if someone is having a moment of inattention or a moment where they are looking for some sort of distraction, it's there, it's accessible and that can cause a whole lot of challenges and problems."
Dr Hosking says social media addiction can develop when people use it as a distraction from painful emotional states.
"So, they might use it to control anxiety or to overcome depressed mood or grief or other emotional problems they might be experiencing. So, if someone finds a way to manage painful emotional states through the use of social media, that can form something of a gateway for these other more intense addictions, intense substance use or gambling addictions to start to develop."
He says there are several reasons why restricting access to social media for under 16s is a really healthy initiative.
"One is that it prevents some of these things like an addiction from developing. I think the other part is that social media exposes people to a range of really challenging and difficult media, including the capacity for abuse from other people and that could be really damaging. But they could also see things that can be not developmentally appropriate that might be really painful and damaging."
The Federal Court has the power to fine social media companies up to $49.5 million if they fail to take reasonable steps to comply with Australia's Social Media Minimum Age obligation.
Communications Minister Anika Wells says the compliance reporting requirement should reassure parents and warn big tech that compliance failures could result in hefty fines.
"Publishing the compliance report today I think not just gives parents peace of mind that we understand what you're going through but puts big tech on notice that enforcement action has begun. That we are building the evidence case and the eSafety Commissioner can take you to court.”
