Australia Plans Harsher Penalties for Social Media Platforms Over Under-16 Ban
Australia is set to double the fines for social media companies like Facebook and Instagram if they fail to prevent minors from accessing accounts, amid rising criticism that this landmark ban for those under 16 is not working as intended.
Communications Minister Annika Wells expressed her concerns on Monday, attributing the need for tougher legislation to the platforms’ resistance to enforce age restrictions. This law was implemented on December 10.
“We all agree that we want this plan to work better than it currently does, but it depends on Big Tech taking the mickey,” she remarked during an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, using local slang to indicate dishonesty.
The government announced plans on Sunday to introduce a bill to parliament that would increase the maximum fine for platforms refusing to comply with the age ban, raising it to A$99 million ($68 million).
Additionally, the proposed changes would enhance the authority of Australia’s online safety chief, eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman-Grant, enabling her to demand information to ensure compliance with the law.
New provisions will also allow the commissioner to gather data from third-party sources, like age verification technology providers, to confirm claims about minors bypassing restrictions.
Senior opposition lawmaker Jane Hume noted that her party might support the reform, insisting “social media bans are not working” due to inherent flaws in the legislation.
“This bill was clearly insufficient to begin with. The eSafety Commissioner was not given the power to go after these Big Tech companies,” Hume added.
The original bill passed in 2024 with significant backing and provided platforms over a year to prepare for the changes.
Several countries watching Australia’s efforts to restrict access have implemented or are considering similar measures themselves.
Initially, the government reported that over 5 million children’s accounts had been deleted or restricted post-implementation.
However, an eSafety report from March indicated that 70% of children with accounts on various platforms remained active after the restrictions were put in place.
Inman Grant mentioned in April that her office was contemplating legal action against these companies, including YouTube, for failing to take actionable steps to exclude minors.
She expressed satisfaction with progress made regarding other restricted platforms like X, Kick, Reddit, Threads, and Twitch.
Wells indicated that despite receiving monthly updates from eSafety since March, she had “not seen any improvement.” She remarked, “These changes will ensure that the eSafety Commissioner has the tools and powers she needs to hold platforms to account, and we are enabling her to do just that.”
