IN BRIEF: More countries are introducing social media bans for under 16s, but they aren't working as effectively as intended. Australia, which was the first nation to introduce such a restriction last year, has discovered that the majority of kids are still accessing the platforms. As such, it's doubling the penalty against tech firms for breaches from $49.5 million to $99 million.
Australia's government said tech companies are "not doing enough" to keep children off social media sites. In addition to the doubling of potential penalties, the eSafety Commissioner internet regulator will have strengthened information-gathering powers under proposed reforms.
The new powers will allow the commissioner to compel social media companies to provide more evidence of what they have done to prevent under-16s from owning an account. This includes demands to see information and documents, including from third parties, such as age assurance or app store providers.
eSafety is already investigating the possible non-compliance of Meta, Instagram, Facebook, Google, YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok.
A report in April found that, four months after being introduced, the Australian bad mostly wasn't working. A survey showed that 61%, or three in five, Australian 12- to 15-year-olds who had accounts on restricted platforms before the ban came into force still had access to one or more accounts.
