Australia’s government is to double the maximum penalty for systematic breaches of its social media ban for under-16s to A$99 million (£51.4m), arguing social media firms are “doing the bare minimum” to comply.
Updated legislation will also give the eSafety Commissioner powers to compel social media firms to provide evidence of what steps they have taken to keep under-16s off their platforms.
The Commissioner will also be able to demand information from third-party providers such as age assurance services or app store operators.
‘Tricks’
The ban has applied to 10 social media platforms since 10 December, and authorities have begun investigations into the alleged non-compliance of five of those platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube.
