Australia social media ban: fines lifted to A$99m cap

Australia social media ban enforcement is set to tighten under proposed legislation that would sharply raise penalties for platforms and expand the powers of the national online safety regulator.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said major technology companies have not done enough to follow the country’s under-16 restrictions, arguing too many children remain active on social media despite existing rules.

Fines increased to A$99 million for non-compliant platforms

Under the government’s proposal, the maximum financial penalty for social media companies that fail to stop children under 16 from holding accounts would rise to A$99 million (about US$68 million), according to a government statement.

The planned change would escalate the consequences for breaches of Australia’s “world-first” approach to restricting under-16 access to social media services. The government framed the higher cap as a way to strengthen compliance incentives for large platforms.

While the statement did not outline how often penalties could be applied or how investigations would be triggered, the intent is to increase the cost of failing to enforce age restrictions. The government’s messaging centers on making platform accountability more concrete and measurable.

eSafety Commissioner would be able to demand proof

The proposed bill would also expand the authority of the eSafety Commissioner, Australia’s online safety watchdog, to require social media companies to provide evidence of what they have done to prevent under-16 users from obtaining accounts.

That added power would shift enforcement beyond broad policy promises and toward documentation of controls, processes, and outcomes. In practice, it could mean platforms may need to show how their systems identify underage sign-ups and what steps they take to block or remove them.

Albanese said the continued presence of children on social media shows gaps in compliance. The government’s approach indicates it expects platforms to demonstrate stronger barriers, rather than rely primarily on user self-declaration.

Why the move matters for tech governance and child safety

The legislation underscores a broader push by governments to apply tougher oversight to digital platforms, particularly on issues involving child safety. Australia has positioned its regulatory stance as a test case for how far a country can go in enforcing age-based access rules at scale.

By pairing a higher maximum penalty with a power to compel evidence, Canberra is aiming to reduce ambiguity about what counts as sufficient effort. A documentation requirement can also make enforcement faster by focusing on whether specific safeguards exist and are used, not only on corporate assurances.

The changes may also influence how platforms design age checks, account creation flows, and moderation systems for Australian users. Companies could face pressure to strengthen internal controls to reduce legal and financial exposure, especially if the regulator expects consistent proof of action.

Next steps will depend on the legislative process and how the regulator interprets and applies the evidence-gathering authority once enacted. Key questions for industry and parents alike include how compliance will be measured, what standards will be used to evaluate “reasonable steps,” and whether the new penalty ceiling leads to more frequent enforcement actions.