The Australian government has announced it will double the fines for platforms violating the ban on children under 16 using social media, raising the maximum to AUD 99 million (USD 68 million) for systematic violations.
On June 27, the Australian government announced it would double the fines for platforms violating the ban on children under 16 using social media, aiming to curb widespread circumvention of the law, according to AFP.
The new law will raise the maximum fine to AUD 99 million (USD 68 million) for systematic violations. The law also gives the online safety watchdog eSafety greater powers to regulate social media platforms.
The Australian government also said eSafety is "actively investigating" potential violations by Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube.
"Clearly, the big tech companies aren't doing enough to comply with the law; too many children are still using social media," said Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Under the new law, eSafety will be able to force social media providers to provide evidence of what they have done to prevent users under 16 from using their platforms.
Australian Communications Minister Anika Wells also said she was unhappy with how the social media platforms are behaving.
"Social media platforms are among the richest and most powerful companies in the world, and we take holding them accountable very seriously. These new, stricter penalties and powers show we will not back down. Instead, we are stepping up our efforts to hold these big tech corporations accountable," she said.
According to AFP, underage users can circumvent the rules by using accounts belonging to older adults, creating fake accounts, or logging in using incognito browsing.
The positive results of Australia's recent social media restrictions have drawn attention from countries that have already implemented or are considering similar bans, including the UK, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, and New Zealand.