# Australia sues Meta, TikTok, Snap and YouTube over teen ban

> Australia's communications minister says the eSafety Commissioner is building cases against four major platforms for failing to enforce the under-16s social media ban.
- Title: Australia sues Meta, TikTok, Snap and YouTube over teen ban
- Summary: Australia's communications minister says the eSafety Commissioner is building cases against four major platforms for failing to enforce the under-16s social…
- Keywords: australia, social media ban, meta, tiktok, snapchat, youtube, anika wells, julie inman grant, digital duty of care, child safety, technology, startups
- Source: The Next Web — https://thenextweb.com/news/australia-social-media-ban-sue-meta-tiktok-snap-youtube
- Author: Ana-Maria Stanciuc
- Published: 2026-10-20T21:43:35+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: australia, social media ban, meta, tiktok, snapchat, youtube, anika wells, julie inman grant, digital duty of care, child safety, technology, startups
## Australia prepares court cases
Communications Minister Anika Wells told Bloomberg that the eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant is using new powers to build cases against Meta, TikTok, Snap and YouTube over the under-sixteens social media ban.

> Now she has more powers to be able to gather the evidence that she needs to take those five companies to the Federal Court.
## The ban and the gap
The ban has been in force since December twenty twenty-five. The eSafety Commissioner opened investigations into platform compliance in March. Data published in August showed teen TikTok use fell by one percentage point.
## Meta's compliance and concern
Meta said in August it removed access to more than seven hundred fifty thousand Facebook and Instagram accounts in Australia belonging to under-sixteens, using AI to scan posts, bios and captions.

> Our primary concern is that platforms are not taking a consistent approach to how they are removing teens.
## Wells builds global coalition
Communications Minister Wells is building a coalition of countries to press tech companies on child safety.

> These are the most resourced, powerful companies in the world. It's going to take a coalition of lawmakers working together across the globe to take them on.
## Digital Duty of Care bill
Wells wants the Digital Duty of Care bill passed by end of year, taking effect twelve months later.
## Key takeaway

Australia is preparing to take Meta, TikTok, Snap and YouTube to Federal Court over compliance with its social media ban for under-sixteens, with the eSafety Commissioner using new powers to gather evidence.