Australia doubles penalty for under-16 social media ban to $99m

The federal government will double the penalty for breaches of Australia’s youth social media ban to $99m, saying tech companies are not doing enough to keep children off harmful sites. The eSafety commissioner, now investigating potential breaches by Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube, would have its information-gathering powers strengthened under the proposed reforms.

The proposed laws would raise the fine for systematic breaches from $49.5m to $99m, bringing it into line with penalties available under competition and consumer law. The commissioner would be able to compel companies to provide evidence of steps taken to stop under-16s opening or using accounts and to demand information and documents from third parties, including age assurance and app store providers.

The government says more than 5m accounts held by under-16s have been removed, deactivated or restricted since the ban was introduced on 10 December, but research suggests most under-16s are bypassing age checks.

Australia

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