Australia to double fines for under-16 social media ban

The Australian government announced on Saturday that it will significantly toughen its pioneering social media ban for children under 16, doubling the maximum fines for non-compliant tech companies and granting its regulator stronger investigative powers. The move comes six months after the ban took effect and amid mounting evidence that a large majority of teenagers are still accessing the platforms.

Under the planned legislative changes, the maximum penalty for systematic failures to uphold the ban will increase from 49.5 million Australian dollars to 99 million Australian dollars (approximately US$68 million). The government will also empower the eSafety Commissioner, the national internet regulator, to compel social media companies to provide evidence of their compliance efforts. This includes the authority to gather information from third parties, such as age-assurance or app-store providers, to test the claims made by the platforms.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement that while he was encouraged by a global shift in conversation, big tech companies were not doing enough. "It's clear big tech are not doing enough to comply with the law - there are still too...