June 27, 2026
Australia said on Saturday it would double the maximum penalty it can impose on tech firms found to have failed to uphold a ground-breaking social media ban for children, as evidence mounts that the ban has had little effect on teen use.
The government will also strengthen the information-gathering powers of its internet regulator, the eSafety commissioner, allowing it to compel social media companies to provide evidence of what they have done to stop under-16s from getting an account.
Under the changes, the maximum penalty for systematic failures to uphold the ban jumps to A$99 million from A$49.5 million.
The government reiterated that eSafety is actively investigating the possible non-compliance of five platforms - Meta's Instagram and Facebook, Google's YouTube, Snap's Snapchat and TikTok.
