Australia will introduce new laws to strengthen its under-16 social media ban, giving its internet regulator more power to pursue tech giants in court for non-compliance.
Background
The move follows the world-first restrictions that took effect in December, a policy being watched closely by many countries seeking to emulate it as evidence suggests children are still able to access the platforms.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said there were still too many children on social media and tech firms were not doing enough to comply with the law.
The regulator is investigating possible non-compliance by five platforms: Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and Google’s YouTube.
Consequences
The changes, announced on Sunday, would double fines to A$99 million ($68.2 million) from A$49.5 million.
They also give the eSafety Commissioner power to compel documents such as company board minutes and internal emails, ensuring legal cases being built against platforms failing to comply are as strong as possible.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
