Australia’s eSafety Commissioner has defended the world-first social media ban for under-16s against mounting criticism, insisting that the technology to implement it exists despite expert warnings that privacy protections are inadequate and age verification systems deeply flawed.

Julie Inman Grant told a Senate estimates hearing late on Wednesday night that six major platforms – YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X and Snapchat – would be age-restricted from December 10, while dismissing concerns about the viability of age assurance technology with the deadline just 62 days away.

She cited preliminary findings from a government-commissioned trial, which tested more than 50 age verification technologies, stating there are “no significant technological barriers” to implementing the ban

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