Australia to double penalty for social media ban breaches to $99m as tech giants accused of ‘not doing enough’ | Social media ban

The federal government will double fines for violating Australia’s youth social media ban to $99 million, saying tech companies are “not doing enough” to keep children away from harmful social media sites.

And the eSafety commissioner, who is currently investigating possible breaches of the law by Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube, will strengthen its information-gathering powers under additional proposed reforms.

“I’m encouraged by the shift in conversation and the global momentum we’ve seen since introducing a minimum age for social media,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said. “But it’s clear that big tech isn’t doing enough to comply with the law; there are still too many children on social media.”

The government said more than 5 million accounts held by under-16s had been removed, disabled or restricted since Australia’s worldwide ban was implemented on December 10; however, research has suggested that the majority of under-16s have bypassed age restrictions and are still accessing social media.

The proposed new laws would double the fine for systematic breaches of the under-16 social media ban from $49.5 million to $99 million, bringing it in line with penalties under competition and consumer law.

The reforms will also give the eSafety commissioner the power to force social media companies to provide evidence of what they are doing to prevent under-16s from opening or using accounts. The commissioner will be able to request information and documents, including from third parties such as age assurance or app store providers.

“Australia leads the world in our efforts to keep children and young people safe online,” Albanese said.

“These changes reflect how seriously we take social media companies’ failure to comply with our world-leading laws.”

Since Australia became the first country in the world to legislate a social media ban for under-16s, international momentum for similar reforms has been growing.

The French national parliament has passed legislation banning children under 15 from accessing social media accounts and includes parental leave provisions, and the UK government has announced plans for an “Australia-plus” ban for under-16s from 2027, with additional restrictions.

Similar offers were also being considered by Slovenia, Poland, Spain, Denmark and Malaysia.

However Research assessing effectiveness of Australian ban Three months after the law came into force, it was revealed that more than 80 percent of those under the age of 16 were still using social media.

A study of more than 400 children aged 12 to 17 by the University of Newcastle concluded that Australia’s social media minimum age legislation has resulted in “limited enforcement, incomplete compliance and significant circumvention of social media restrictions”.

“In general, exposure to action [of parliament] The authors noted a significant early impact on social media use among adolescents under the age of 16.

Research, Published in BMJ The research this month found that while two-thirds of young people surveyed reported being asked to complete age verification checks, only 5 per cent of young people aged 12 to 13 and 11 per cent of young people aged 14 to 15 had to produce an official ID photo. The two most common checks were asking teens their age or uploading photos of themselves.

A significant minority of respondents said they actively bypassed age restrictions. About 15% of 12-13 year olds and 19% of 14-15 year olds surveyed said they used a fake account, and about 3% said they used a VPN.

The study argued that a social media ban in Australia may be more effective in preventing or delaying access to social media by children under the age of eight, rather than restricting access by adolescents who already use social media.

Communications minister Anika Wells has said she does not believe big tech companies are doing all they can to exclude under-16s after the social media law has been in place for six months.

“Based on the regular updates I receive from the eSafety commissioner, it is clear to me that social media platforms are directly adopting tricks from the big playbook of technology and doing the bare minimum of effort required to get by.

“In response, I am ensuring the regulator has stronger tools to get the job done and doubling penalties for non-compliance.”

He said social media platforms were some of the richest and most powerful companies in the world but would not be deterred from pushing for the government’s approval of a social media ban on children.

“These tough new penalties and mandates show we won’t back down. Instead, we’re redoubling our efforts to hold big tech accountable.”