Australia is strengthening its world-first laws that ban children under 16 from social media platforms. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated that big tech companies are not doing enough to comply with the measure, which came into force in December. The government is prioritizing these reforms after evidence suggests the ban has had little effect on teen use.
To ensure compliance, the federal government will double the maximum penalty for breaches to 99 million dollars. Furthermore, the eSafety commissioner, the nation's online safety watchdog, will be granted strengthened information-gathering powers to better hold these companies to account.
The eSafety commissioner is currently investigating potential non-compliance by five major platforms: Meta's Facebook and Instagram, Google's YouTube, Snap's Snapchat, and TikTok. This move comes as observers note the government is responding to evidence that the ban has failed to keep young children off these sites.
Communications Minister Anika Wells stated that the government is serious about holding these platforms to account, describing them as some of the richest and most powerful companies in the world. While Prime Minister Albanese said he is heartened by the world-leading law, he acknowledged that too many children are still on the platforms and is keen to make the ban as strong as possible.