Australia Doubles Down on Social-Media Restrictions, Expands Government Control Over Platforms
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The government will impose even harsher fines—up to AUD 99 million—for violating the under-16 social-media ban, while granting sweeping new enforcement powers to the eSafety Commissioner.
Australia is set to dramatically increase government intervention in the digital sphere by doubling the maximum penalty for violating its under-16 social-media ban from AUD 49.5 million to AUD 99 million. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced this escalation in punitive measures, along with plans to give the eSafety Commissioner even broader authority to demand evidence of age-verification practices from social-media platforms.
The move follows the Online Safety Amendment Act, which took effect in December and imposed sweeping bans on accounts for under-16s on major platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook, X, and YouTube. Despite the removal, deactivation, or restriction of more than five million accounts, officials claim that these measures are still not enough, signaling an appetite for ever-greater regulation and control.
"It is clear that social media platforms are adopting tricks straight out of the big tech playbook and doing the bare minimum to get by," Minister for Communications Anika Wells said, echoing the government’s distrust of private enterprise and its push for more oversight.
The eSafety Commissioner is now investigating possible non-compliance by Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube. The new legislation will also extend the Commissioner’s reach to third-party age-verification services and app-store providers, further tightening the government’s grip and closing loopholes that previously allowed platforms some autonomy.