Published on
29/06/2026 - 12:49 GMT+2
Australia is set to double potential fines for social media platforms that fail to stop children from holding accounts after seven in 10 kids remained on restricted platforms three months after a world-first ban on under-16s came into force.
The government said Sunday it would introduce draft legislation this week doubling the maximum penalty to 99 million Australian dollars (€63mn) for platforms — including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok — that do not take reasonable steps to comply with the ban, which became law on 10 December.
Communications Minister Anika Wells blamed the platforms directly. "We can all agree we would like the scheme to work better than it is currently, but that is on Big Tech taking the Mickey," she said, speaking to the Australian Broadcasting Corp on Monday.
