Australia plans to double fines for violations of social media ban for teenagers to $99 million
The Australian federal government plans to double the maximum fine for violating the ban on social media use for persons under 16 years old—to 99 million US dollars. This was reported by The Guardian.
In Canberra, it is stated that large tech companies are not doing enough to prevent children from accessing social media platforms that may contain harmful content.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese noted that after introducing a minimum age for social media use in the country, the international discussion about children's safety on the internet has intensified, but the problem of underage access remains relevant.
According to the government, more than 5 million accounts of users under 16 years old have been deleted, deactivated, or restricted since the ban was introduced on December 10. At the same time, studies show that a significant portion of teenagers continue to bypass age restrictions and use social media.
The new legislative proposals provide for increasing the fine for systematic violations from 49.5 million to 99 million US dollars. This is intended to align sanctions with competition law and consumer protection standards.
In addition, the reforms expand the powers of the eSafety Commissioner. The regulator will be able to require social platforms to confirm the measures they have taken to prevent registration and use of accounts by persons under 16 years old, as well as to obtain relevant data and documents from third parties, including age verification services and app stores.
Anthony Albanese stated that Australia positions itself as a country with one of the strictest approaches to protecting children on the internet, and the new measures are a response to non-compliance with legislation by tech companies.
Since the introduction of the ban, Australia has become the first country in the world with such regulation for users under 16 years old, and interest in similar initiatives worldwide is gradually increasing.
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