Australia has strengthened its social media ban for children, doubling the maximum penalty for tech firms that fail to comply. The government will also enhance the information-gathering powers of its internet regulator, the eSafety Commissioner.

Background

The ban, which has been in place for six months, prohibits social media companies from allowing children under 16 to create accounts. However, numerous studies have shown that age-assurance mechanisms, such as taking a selfie, are easily circumvented by children.

A recent study published in the British Medical Journal found that 85% of Australians aged 12 to 15 were still using social media three months after the ban took effect. Two-thirds of underage users stayed online by self-declaring an age over 16 or posting a selfie that the platform accepted as over 16.

Government Response

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated that the government is heartened by the global momentum to restrict social media use among children, but big tech companies are not doing enough to comply with the law. The government will introduce amendments to the law to empower the regulator to demand information from social media platforms and gather information from third parties to assist in testing claims made by the platforms.

The maximum penalty for systematic failures to uphold the ban will jump to A$99 million from A$49.5 million. The government is actively investigating the possible non-compliance of five platforms: Meta’s Instagram and Facebook, Google’s YouTube, Snap’s Snapchat, and TikTok.

Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.