Australia doubles fines over under-16 social media ban

Australia will double the maximum fine for social media companies that breach its under-16 ban, saying major platforms are still allowing too many children to use their services despite landmark restrictions that took effect last year.

The government said Saturday that new legislation would raise the maximum penalty for systemic breaches from 49.5 million to 99 million Australian dollars, or about $68 million. The BBC reported the higher fine is equivalent to £51.7 million. The changes would also give the eSafety Commissioner, Australia’s independent online safety regulator, stronger powers to demand evidence from social media companies about the steps they have taken to comply with the law.

Children under 16 have been barred from 10 major social media platforms in Australia since Dec. 10, 2025. But enforcement has proved difficult, and the regulator has opened investigations into alleged non-compliance by Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the tougher penalties show the government is “doubling down on platforms that are not doing enough.”

“I’m heartened by the shift in conversation and the global momentum we’ve seen since introducing the social media minimum age, but it’s clear big tech are not doing enough to comply with the law,” Albanese said. “There are still too many children on social media.”

The government said the expanded powers would support “more effective investigation and potential enforcement action.” Under the changes, the eSafety Commissioner would be able to demand documents and evidence from platforms, age-checking companies and app stores, Al Jazeera reported. Platforms must show they have taken “reasonable steps” to keep under-16s out.

Communications Minister Anika Wells said she was “not satisfied” that technology companies were doing everything they could to keep children off social media.

“Based on the regular updates I receive from the eSafety Commissioner, it is clear to me that social media platforms are adopting tricks straight out of the Big Tech playbook and doing the bare minimum to get by,” Wells said. “Social media platforms are some of the richest and most powerful companies in the world, and we’re serious about holding them to account.”

The ban made Australia a global test case for governments seeking to restrict children’s access to social media. But children have continued to bypass the rules, including by using accounts registered to older people, creating fake profiles or logging in through private browsers, Al Jazeera reported.

Australia’s eSafety Commission found that seven in 10 children under 16 who had a social media account before the ban still had “some access.” The BBC reported that during a February visit to a school in Sydney, a majority of students who had used social media before the ban said they still had access.

Al Jazeera reported that a peer-reviewed evaluation published this month in the British Medical Journal found “insufficient evidence” that the ban had sharply reduced social media use among young people. Researchers surveyed more than 400 children before the measure took effect and again three months later, finding “substantial circumvention” of the rules.

The government says more than five million accounts held by under-16s have been blocked. Some platforms use artificial intelligence to estimate ages, while users can also verify their age with a government ID, Al Jazeera reported.

Several countries are watching or considering similar restrictions, including Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates and New Zealand. In June 2026, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced plans for a similar ban for children under 16, expected to take effect by spring 2027. The UK government has not released a full list of affected platforms but said the rules would cover services “whose purpose is to enable social interaction and which allow users to post material.” It is also considering an overnight curfew and measures to stop infinite scrolling for under-18s.