WhatsApp could join under-16s social ban

“WhatsApp and other major apps have been warned they could be banned for under‑16s if they add new social features, the eSafety Commissioner has told a Senate estimates hearing. WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook parent company Meta, was excluded from the December 10 ban, which booted teenagers from popular apps such as Instagram (also owned by Meta) and Snapchat. However, Greens senator David Shoebridge told a Wednesday hearing that every time he opened WhatsApp “I’ve got some new options … where there’s now channels, there’s communities, there’s my status feed.” In response, Ms Inman-Grant said apps that were not covered, including WhatsApp, may not be excluded forever. “We’ve told WhatsApp, we’ve told Roblox … you might have been assessed at this time as a messaging app or an online gaming, but the more social you become, the more likely you are to [meet the definition]”, she said. Ms Inman-Grant said if eSafety became aware of excluded platforms introducing more social features, then it would likely work through a process of reassessing them. WhatsApp could join Facebook and Instagram in the social media ban. Picture: iStock/stockcam. eSafety has been probing compliance of 10 major social media platforms since the ban came into effect on December 10, 2025. Ms Inman-Grant said complex investigations into “compliance of the platforms was ongoing”. “In our March regulatory update, we indicated we were concerned about industry compliance. Since then, we have continued our investigations and have seen some improvements,” she said. More on this story: The social media ban explained for teachers | School apps found to harvest student data | Children at risk from sexual AI chatbots “However, we have not yet reached a final determination on whether platforms are taking reasonable steps, which is the highest standard we must prove under the legislation. Ms Inman Grant acknowledged there was “a strong interest in why fines have not yet been issued”. “Unfortunately, we don’t have a fine-issuing button,” she said. “Rather, systemic noncompliance needs to be proven in court with solid evidence and complex legal proceedings.” Ms Inman Grant said there had been “early indications of progress” among social media sites. “By March, we reported there had been a 37 per cent reduction in the number of under-16s holding accounts, with parents consistently reporting much more constructive conversations with their children about online risks and social media use,” she said. Roblox is also on notice to be banned for under-16s. Picture: iStock/Robert Way. “Today, I can inform the committee that since our March compliance update and direct engagement with individual platforms, we have seen improvements and reversal of some of the poor implementation practices we identified. “For instance, some platforms have recently taken steps to restrict or age-verify accounts that had increased their stated age to 16 in the lead up to, or shortly after, December 10, to identify further underage users who still had accounts on their platform.” Ms Inman Grant said there had also been a reduction in administrative hurdles that “stifle” reports by parents, while other services had raised their age rating on app stores. “Today, I can also update the committee that we have retained an external legal team to support our investigation and any subsequent enforcement action,” she said. However, when asked by Liberal senator Sarah Henderson which platform had made changes, eSafety regulatory operations general manager Heidi Snell said information received from platforms was under “statutory compulsory notices”. “We have not yet finalised our assessment of the effectiveness of any of these measures that they’ve taken and whether that is compliance,” she said. “So, because these investigations are ongoing, we would maintain that divulging the specific details about any individual platform would risk prejudicing the investigations and potential enforcement action.” Earlier, Ms Inman Grant said eSafety had concluded a three-year enforcement action against X Corp, formerly Twitter, for failing to comply with a transparency notice around child sexual abuse material. “Ultimately, X Corp admitted liability and will pay a $650,000 penalty plus costs,” she said. “This is one of the few successful actions brought against export by any regulator globally. “Such outcomes are hard won, and they demonstrate that careful, methodical enforcement with a substantial evidence base yields results.”

Summary generated from the RSS feed of Education Review AU. All article rights belong to the original publisher. Click through to read the full piece on www.educationreview.com.au.