Australia plans to double fines for social media firms over under-16 ban violations

Australia is planning to double the maximum fines imposed on technology companies that fail to comply with a ban on social media use by children under 16, the Australian government said in a statement.

According to Report, citing Reuters, under the proposed legislative changes, the maximum penalty for systematic breaches of age restrictions would rise from 49.5 million to 99 million Australian dollars (around $68 million).

The government also plans to expand the powers of the eSafety Commissioner, who would be able to require social media platforms to provide evidence of measures taken to prevent users under 16 from registering. The regulator would also gain the authority to request information from third parties, including age-verification service providers and app store operators.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said major tech companies are not doing enough to comply with the law despite existing restrictions.

"I am encouraged by the change in the conversation and the global trend we are seeing after introducing a minimum age for social media use, but it is clear that big tech companies are not doing enough to comply with the law - there are still too many children on social media," Albanese said.

According to government data, more than 5 million accounts belonging to users under 16 have been deactivated or restricted since the ban came into force.

However, multiple studies suggest children can easily bypass age-verification systems implemented by tech companies, including selfie-based checks. In many cases, users were not required to verify their age at all.

A study published this week in the British Medical Journal, involving 408 teenagers, found that 85% of Australians aged 12–15 were still using social media three months after the ban took effect.