Australia Doubles Fines to $68 Million For Companies Not Properly Enforcing Under-16 Social Media Ban

Six months after pioneering a law to keep children off social media, the Australian government is vastly increasing the financial high stakes for technology companies that fail to comply. On Saturday, officials announced plans to double the maximum financial penalty for systemic failures to uphold the nation's under-16 age ban, raising the ceiling from A$49.5 million to a staggering A$99 million ($68 million).

The aggressive legislative update arrives as mounting evidence shows that underage teenagers are easily bypassing the current social media ban. Rather than admitting defeat, the government is dramatically expanding the investigative toolkit of its independent internet regulator, the eSafety Commissioner, to force companies to comply.

The ban, which took effect on December 10th, 2025, banned children under the age of 16 from 10 major social media networks. While the government boasts that more than five million underage accounts have since been deactivated or restricted globally, independent research has revealed a different reality on the ground.

According to a peer-reviewed study tracking 408 adolescents published in the British Medical Journal, a staggering 85% of Australians aged 12 to 15 were still actively using social media three months after the ban became law. The study noted that there was a "substantial circumvention" of the rules, with two-thirds of minors maintaining their digital presence by simply fabricating an older birthdate or submitting a selfie that the platform’s age-assurance software approved without issue. In many instances, the platforms failed to ask for any verification at all.

The blatant loopholes have drawn harsh criticism from top government officials, who accuse tech conglomerates of deliberately undermining the law.

"I'm heartened by the shift in conversation and the global momentum we've seen since introducing the social media minimum age, but it's clear big tech are not doing enough to comply with the law," Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement. "There are still too many children on social media."

Communications Minister Anika Wells went a step further, slamming the companies for weaponizing compliance loopholes to protect their lucrative bottom lines.

"Based on the regular updates I receive from the eSafety Commissioner, it is clear to me that social media platforms are adopting tricks straight out of the big tech playbook and doing the bare minimum to get by," Wells said.

The eSafety Commissioner has launched formal non-compliance investigations into five of the world’s most powerful platforms: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok. Under the current rules, these multi-billion-dollar networks are legally obligated to prove they have taken "reasonable steps" to bar children under 16 from using the platforms, utilizing methods ranging from government ID checks to artificial intelligence age-estimation tools.

To dismantle corporate stonewalling, the impending legislation will give the internet regulator unprecedented information-gathering capabilities. The eSafety Commissioner will soon have the legal authority to compel tech companies to hand over internal documents and evidence detailing their exact age-screening protocols. Crucially, the regulator can also demand data from third-party app stores and independent age-assurance vendors to audit the platforms' compliance claims.

The tech industry is already mounting a fierce resistance to the ban. Message board giant Reddit is currently escalating a high-profile challenge against the ban in Australia’s High Court, aiming to strike down the law on free speech grounds, which the government has promised to fight.

Despite enforcement headaches at home, Australia’s regulatory experiment is serving as a blueprint for foreign governments looking to curb the negative impacts of social media on youth mental and physical health. Nations like Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, and New Zealand are watching closely, while the United Kingdom is already moving forward with its own framework.

In June 2026, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced that the UK will roll out its own under-16 social media ban by spring 2027. The British proposal aims to cast an even wider net, capturing gaming and live-streaming platforms "whose purpose is to enable social interaction and which allow users to post material." To protect minors, UK lawmakers are also considering a mandatory overnight internet curfew and a complete ban on addictive "infinite scrolling" features for anyone under 18.