More than 1,500 Australians have complained to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) about digital platforms in the past two and a half years. About a third of these complaints involve wrongful account terminations. However, the TIO has no powers to resolve problems related to digital platforms. The TIO's report came out ahead of Australia's new social media ban for teens under 16. From December 10, these teens will be barred from about 12 social media platforms. The government wants fast appeal processes for users wrongly blocked due to age. One case in the report features "Karen" (not her real name). Her business social media page was linked to her personal account, which got disabled without warning. This blocked Karen from contacting customers and using her business page. She could not get help from the platform because their responses went to her disabled account. Karen reached out to the TIO due to the financial and reputational harm to her business. The TIO revealed that from January 1, 2023, to August 31, 2025, there were 1,537 digital platform complaints. Complaints rose by 28.6% from 2023 to 2024. Many complaints involve account access issues, such as locks or bans, making up 36% of reports. The TIO said, "We have heard from individuals and small businesses whose accounts have been locked due to alleged breaches of community standards, with no warning or explanation, risking personal and financial losses." Google leads with 18% of complaints, followed by Hubbl (Kayo/Binge/Foxtel) at 15%, Apple and Microsoft each at 14%, and Meta at 11%. TIO says these complaints come to them because problems often cross over into telecom issues, like internet connection troubles. The ombudsman recommends expanding its powers to include digital platforms. Ombudsman Cynthia Gebert said, "We are calling for the Australian government to expand the TIO to become the Communications Ombudsman. To support government reforms such as the under-16s social media ban and digital duty of care, it’s more important than ever that people have appeal rights when digital platforms get things wrong." Gebert added it is heartbreaking to turn people away. "When someone loses access to their telco service, we work with the consumer and the company to resolve the issue. But when someone is accidentally locked out of their social media or cloud storage account, and the platform is not responding, there’s nowhere for them to go."