Australia Tightens Under-16 Social Media Ban
Australia will present new legislation in parliament aimed at reinforcing its ban on social media for those under 16 and empowering its internet regulator to take legal action against tech companies for non-compliance.
The decision comes after the groundbreaking restrictions that began in December, a strategy being monitored by numerous nations looking to replicate it as indications show children can still reach the platforms.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated that there remain excessive numbers of children on social media and that tech companies are not adequately following the law.
"Today, we are putting an end to the social media companies and reinforcing the alterations we have implemented and what we're ready to implement," according to reports.
"This afternoon, we will present legislation that takes additional steps to guarantee social media companies are doing all they can to prevent children under 16 from being on their platforms."
The regulator is probing potential non-compliance issues involving five platforms: Facebook and Instagram from Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube from Google.
No prompt reply was received from Meta, Google, or Snapchat. TikTok chose not to provide a comment.
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Albanese urged the conservative coalition opposition to support the bill, highlighting that the initial policy received bipartisan backing.
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The modifications, revealed on Sunday, would increase penalties to A$99 million ($68.2 million) from A$49.5 million.
They also grant the eSafety Commissioner authority to demand documents like company board minutes and internal emails, ensuring that legal cases against platforms that do not comply are as "robust as possible," according to Communications Minister Anika Wells.
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"My message to Big Tech is clear: we will not back down." "Any attempt you make to undermine these laws will be countered by our efforts to enforce them," she stated.