SYDNEY: Tech companies including WhatsApp and Reddit as well as streaming giant Twitch and gaming firm Roblox could be among more than a dozen sites added to Australia&#39;s social media ban for under-16s, the country&#39;s regulator said Wednesday. Platforms such as Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube were already included in the ban -- a world-first. &lsquo;Self assess&rsquo;But the head of Australia&#39;s eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, has written to 16 more companies to &quot;self-assess&quot; whether they fall under the ban&#39;s remit. The list also included Pinterest as well as Lego Play, streaming company Kick and gaming platform Steam. Companies will need to make a case if they believe their platform should be exempt from the ban, the national broadcaster ABC said. Inman Grant told the network that while some cases were &quot;pretty clear&quot;, the regulator would &quot;give them the due diligence process&quot;. &quot;We need to hear them all out,&quot; she said. The regulator said it will initially focus on platforms with the greatest number of users, where there are higher risks of harm. Fine&nbsp;Australia has been a leader in global efforts to prevent internet harm, but current legislation offers almost no details on how the ban will be enforced -- prompting concern among experts that it will simply be a symbolic piece of unenforceable legislation. The eSafety Commission will be able to fine social media companies up to Aus$49.5 million ($32.6 million) for failing to comply with the rules. Social media companies have described the laws as &quot;vague&quot;, &quot;problematic&quot; and &quot;rushed&quot;. Canberra has struggled to pin down how precisely platforms will verify the ages of their users. This month, Communications Minister Anika Wells conceded that firms would need to self-regulate. No single solutionAn independent study ordered by the Australian government found this month that age checking can be done &quot;privately, efficiently and effectively&quot;, though it admitted no single solution would fit all contexts. The regulator has also introduced a number of rules taking effect in Australia in the coming months to protect children from &quot;lawful but awful&quot; content.

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Australia may expand its under-16 social media ban to include platforms such as WhatsApp, Reddit, and Twitch. Regulators demand self-assessments, but critics question enforcement, calling the legislation vague, symbolic, and difficult to implement effectively.

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Australia targets more platforms in under-16 social media ban