Australia to Tighten Social Media Ban for Children

The Australian government will introduce a bill to parliament to strengthen its ban on social media use by children under 16 and expand the powers of the country’s internet regulator.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that despite the restrictions being in force since December, too many children were still accessing social media platforms and tech companies were not doing enough to comply with the law.

The new legislation will double the maximum fine for violations from A$49.5m ($34.1m) to A$99m ($68.2m). It will also allow the eSafety Commissioner to compel internal company documents, including board minutes and corporate emails.

The regulator is already investigating possible non-compliance by Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube. The government says the changes are intended to ensure stricter enforcement and better protection for children online.

(Reuters, mja)