The Australian government plans to take legal action against five major digital platforms—Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube—for allegedly violating laws that ban social media use for children under 16.

Bloomberg reported on the 20th that Australian Communications Minister Anika Wells announced the plan in Sydney.

Previously in March, Australia's independent online safety regulator, the eSafety Commissioner, announced it was investigating whether these five platforms failed to comply with the law.

Australia's Online Safety Amendment Act, designed to protect minors under 16 from harmful online content, went into effect last December.

The law requires companies to take reasonable steps to prevent minor users from holding social media accounts.

According to a report released by the eSafety Commission last July, most minor users were able to maintain existing accounts or create new ones, which was attributed to a lack of effective age-verification procedures.

When asked whether legal action against these five platforms is expected, Minister Wells responded, "It's not a matter for me to determine, but I expect that there will be legal action."

Violations of the law carry fines of up to AUD 109.2 million (approx. 100 billion won).

Previously, the Australian government strengthened the eSafety Commission's investigative powers by granting it authority to demand document submissions from social media platforms and summon current and former employees for questioning.

"The eSafety Commission has broader powers to gather the evidence necessary to take these five companies to the Federal Court," Wells said. "It is preparing to file a lawsuit in this case using those powers."