The Australian government is set to double the penalty for breaching its social media age restrictions to $99 million, citing insufficient efforts by tech giants to prevent children from accessing harmful content. The eSafety commissioner will also receive enhanced information-gathering powers to investigate potential breaches by platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Despite removing over 5 million accounts held by under-16s since the ban's introduction, research suggests that most children in this age group are still accessing social media by bypassing age restrictions. The proposed reforms aim to strengthen the regulator's ability to compel social media companies to provide evidence of their efforts to prevent underage access. The government's move is part of a global trend, with countries like France and the UK considering similar legislation. However, a recent study found that Australia's social media ban has had limited impact, with over 80% of under-16s still using social media three months after the legislation came into force. The study highlighted the ease with which children can circumvent age verification checks, with many using fake accounts or VPNs to access restricted content. The Australian government remains committed to enforcing its social media age restrictions, with the communications minister stating that big tech companies are not doing enough to exclude under-16s from their platforms.

Source: The Guardian