ustralia is strengthening enforcement of its social media minimum-age law, with the maximum penalty for platforms that fail to comply set to double to A$99 million.
The changes will also give Australia's eSafety Commissioner greater powers to require social media companies to provide evidence showing what they have done to comply with the law.
Since December 2025, children under 16 have been restricted from holding accounts on a number of major social media platforms. However, concerns remain that some younger users are still able to access services covered by the restrictions.
Australian authorities have opened investigations into the compliance of several major platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube.
The increased penalties highlight the challenge facing governments as they move from introducing age restrictions to actually enforcing them — particularly when platforms must determine users' ages while balancing privacy, accessibility and technical limitations.
Read the full article on BBC.
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