Source : Perth Now news
Advocates for the under-16s social media ban will return to Parliament House to advocate for stronger government oversight of tech platforms.
A Senate inquiry into Labor’s changes to the ban will hear from industry experts, advocates and some of the affected platforms on Friday.
Aimed at protecting children from online harms, Australia’s under-16s social media ban officially began on December 10, 2025, applying to 10 platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and X.
An update on the scheme by eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant in March raised significant concerns some platforms have not taken reasonable steps to uphold the ban.
In response, Labor introduced legislation to double penalties for platforms that breach age restrictions and empower the eSafety commissioner to investigate compliance.
Parents Mia Bannister and Emma Mason will urge the government to pass the legislation without unnecessary delay when they front the inquiry on Friday.
They have called for lived experience and research to be a key part of future policy development and maintaining Australia’s world-leading status in social media law.
“Ultimately, this inquiry is not simply about strengthening regulatory powers,” Ms Bannister and Ms Mason said.
“It is about ensuring that the protections parliament has already promised Australian children can be meaningfully delivered.”
Both parents lost children to suicide, which they say was fuelled by online bullying and harmful content shared on social media.
Four of the major social media platforms will also face questioning on Friday.
Both YouTube and TikTok have used submissions to the inquiry to outline efforts to meet the existing ban requirements and said they were open to working with the eSafety commissioner through any updates.
X, formerly Twitter, won’t be providing evidence to the inquiry on Friday, but has raised concerns about the bill in a submission.
It said expectations to compel evidence were unrealistic, increased penalties were “disproportionate and inappropriate” and broadening the powers of the commissioner could lead to “ordinary Australians” being investigated.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, said on Thursday it had removed more than 750,000 accounts from the two platforms between December and June.
It said 462,000 accounts were booted from Instagram and 294,000 from Facebook.
Other critics of the ban, such as Electronic Frontiers Australia, are reigniting calls for the government to pursue a digital duty of care.
Chair of the digital rights body John Pane said he had “no particular view” on the proposals to enhance the eSafety commissioner’s powers but questioned the effectiveness of the office.
Commissioner Julie Inman Grant will also give evidence at Friday’s hearing.
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Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25)
