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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.
