Australia is planning to double potential fines for social media platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, that fail to prevent children from holding accounts. This move follows the implementation of a world-first ban on social media for those under 16, which took effect in December.
Evidence suggests that platforms are not taking the rule seriously enough. Six months after the restrictions were introduced, children are still able to access these services. Specifically, seven in 10 children remained active on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok three months after the ban took effect.
In response, the government is preparing new legislation to roughly double the maximum penalty for systemic failures. Big Tech has been accused of taking the Mickey regarding the enforcement of these rules, leading the government to make the consequences of ignoring the ban considerably more expensive.