On Saturday, Australia announced it would double the maximum penalty for tech companies that fail to enforce its social media ban for children under 16, raising it from A$49.5 million ($34 million) to A$99 million ($68 million).
This decision comes amid evidence suggesting that the ban has not significantly reduced underage access to social media, with a study indicating that 85% of Australians aged 12 to 15 continued using these platforms three months after the ban was implemented.
The government is also enhancing the powers of the eSafety Commissioner to compel social media companies to provide evidence of their compliance efforts. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed concern that major tech firms are not doing enough to adhere to the law, noting that over 5 million under-16 accounts have been deactivated or restricted since the ban's introduction.
The government is investigating compliance by major platforms, including Meta's Instagram and Facebook, Google's YouTube, Snap's Snapchat, and TikTok. Additionally, the law will allow the regulator to gather information from third parties to verify the platforms' claims.
Meanwhile, Reddit is challenging the ban in court on free speech grounds, and the government has stated it will defend the legislation. This development is significant as it may influence other nations, like Britain, which are considering similar restrictions on social media access for minors