Australia is preparing to significantly increase penalties for technology companies that fail to enforce its world-first social media ban for children under 16, as new evidence suggests the law has had only limited success in reducing teen access to online platforms.
The Australian government announced that the maximum penalty for companies found to have systematically failed to enforce the ban will double from A$49.5 million to A$99 million (about US$68 million). It also plans to give the country’s internet regulator, the eSafety Commissioner, stronger powers to require social media platforms to provide evidence of the steps they have taken to prevent underage users from creating accounts.
Authorities confirmed that the regulator is actively investigating Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok over possible non-compliance with the new law. The companies have not yet responded to the government’s latest announcement.
Australia’s social media restrictions, introduced six months ago, have attracted global attention as other countries consider similar measures to protect children from the potential mental and physical health impacts of social media. The United Kingdom has already announced plans for even broader rules that would also cover gaming and live-streaming platforms.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said there are still too many children using social media despite the new law, adding that technology companies are not doing enough to meet their legal responsibilities. According to the government, more than five million accounts belonging to users under 16 have already been removed or restricted since the ban took effect.
However, recent research suggests many children continue to bypass the age restrictions. A study published this week in the British Medical Journal found that 85% of Australian teenagers aged 12 to 15 were still using social media three months after the ban began. The research showed that many underage users simply entered a false age or uploaded a selfie that was incorrectly accepted as proof they were over 16.
Earlier this year, an industry group representing technology suppliers argued that the main problem was not the age-verification technology itself but the limited effort by social media companies to properly use the available tools.
Communications Minister Anika Wells accused major technology companies of doing the bare minimum to comply with the law. Under the proposed changes, the eSafety Commissioner will also be able to request information from third parties, including age-verification providers and app stores, to independently test the claims made by social media platforms.
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The government has not yet confirmed when the amendments will be introduced to parliament but said more details will be announced soon. Meanwhile, Reddit has filed a legal challenge in Australia’s highest court, arguing that the social media ban violates free speech. The Australian government has said it intends to defend the law.
