Australia Toughens Social Media Ban

‘We have been here before’: No quick fix for social media ban, says rights commissioner

Lorraine Finlay said introducing tougher penalties and stronger powers without sufficient scrutiny was unlikely to fix weaknesses in the Albanese government’s social media ban.

Australia toughens social media ban

Australia doubled the maximum penalty imposed on social media companies that fail to comply with the ban on under-16 users, as evidence grew that children are circumventing restrictions. Canberra introduced its first-in-the-world legislation in December, blocking all children from all major platforms. Since then, dozens of other countries have begun moving toward, or implementing, similar plans. Teens, however, have found inventive ways around t…

Australia moves to strengthen under-16 social media ban amid evidence of enforcement concerns

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Monday that his government was introducing legislation to strengthen the country’s ban on social media accounts for children under 16. Albanese praised the ban’s success, stating that it has led to the deletion of over five million social media accounts for children under 16. He noted, however, issues with compliance by social media companies. Albanese stated: [I]t’s clear that big tech are…

Australia to Double Penalties for Platforms Violating Social Media Ban

Australia is set to substantially increase penalties for digital platforms that fail to comply with new social media restrictions, the government announced on Thursday. The move aims to tighten enforcement following a series of high-profile breaches, signaling Australia’s commitment to regulating online content and curbing harmful behavior. Under the proposed changes, fines for platforms that violate the social media ban could be doubled, reflec…