SYDNEY: Australia will double the financial penalty on platforms flouting its world-leading social media ban for under-16s to stem widespread evasion of the restrictions, the government said on Saturday.
New legislation will lift the maximum fine to Aus$99 million ($68 million) for systemic breaches of the regulation and arm the eSafety online watchdog with greater powers to curb the platforms, it said.
The independent regulator was “actively investigating” potential non-compliance by Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube, the government said in a statement.
“It’s clear big tech are not doing enough to comply with the law — there are still too many children on social media,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.
“These changes reflect the seriousness with which we take any failure by social media companies to comply.”
