Meta, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube are being investigated for “potential non-compliance” with the under 16s social media ban, with the Albanese government saying some of their systems to weed out underage users are “unacceptable”.

The eSafety Commission on Tuesday will release an update on compliance with the social media ban, which forbids those under 16 from having accounts with some of the biggest tech platforms.

Guardian Australia understands the report says some of the big tech platforms have been assessed by eSafety as having “unacceptable” systems, with claims that some are allowing children to repeatedly attempt age assurance tests until they pass, are not doing enough to stop banned users from simply creating new accounts, and have poor systems for parents and others to report underage users.

It’s understood that eSafety is investigating potential non-compliance by Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube.

The communications minister, Anika Wells, claimed some of the platforms subject to the rules are seeking to “undermine” the government’s laws.

If eSafety finds these companies have systemically failed to uphold their legal obligations, I expect the commissioner to throw the book at them.

Fines under the social media minimum age laws can reach up to $49.5m.

All of the platforms covered by our social media minimum age requirement said they would respect the law. If these companies want to do business in Australia, they must obey Australian laws.