Australia's eSafety Commissioner has appeared to break ranks with the Albanese government, saying she was 'not really keen' on a blanket ban for under-16s on social media.

Julie Inman Grant said the world-first ban, which took effect in December 2025 and blocked over five million accounts belonging to minors, was drafted 'very quickly'.

The commissioner compared the ban to trying to 'fence the ocean'.

'We might be able to create some friction and some degree of safety, but it's a futile exercise if you think you're totally stemming the ocean,' she told the Sydney Morning Herald, describing the ban as a 'blunt-force approach'. 

The ban requires social media companies like Meta, TikTok, Google, Kick and Snapchat, to withhold access to accounts for children under 16.

Data from the eSafety Commission suggests that about 70 per cent of under-16s continue to access platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube. 

Inman Grant said she is investigating the platforms for suspected noncompliance, with companies that fail to enforce the ban to face fines up to $AUD50million. 

In March, the Albanese government quietly tightened the ban by expanding the number of apps subject to restrictions.

Any social media platform will now be deemed an 'age-restricted social media platform' if it uses algorithmic recommender systems to hold a user's attention.

Platforms that use one of a list of 'dopamine-driving features' - such as infinite scroll feeds, public reaction tools such as likes and upvotes, and disappearing content such as 24-hour 'Instagram stories' that encourage compulsive checking - will also be classified as restricted.

The eSafety Commissioner confirmed that ten major platforms - including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube and Reddit - now meet the threshold and will be formally assessed under the tougher regime.

However, previously excluded services such as Discord, WhatsApp, Google Classroom and Roblox remain out of scope under the revised criteria.

The timing of the government's quiet regulatory shift is deliberate - with the Albanese government set to soon defend the ban in the High Court.

Reddit and two teenagers - backed by an organisation named the Digital Freedom Project - argue the law is unconstitutional and restricts young people's rights online.

The prime minister has repeatedly defended the ban, saying its goal is to allow young people to 'just have their childhood' and to give parents peace of mind. 

'It's working and being replicated now around the world,' Albanese said in January. 

'It is something that is a source of Australian pride.'