Australia has announced plans to significantly increase fines for social media companies that fail to prevent children under the age of 16 from accessing their platforms, as the government intensifies efforts to enforce its world-first age restriction law. The proposed amendments would raise the maximum financial penalty for non-compliant platforms from A$49.5 million to A$99 million, amid concerns that technology companies are not doing enough to comply with existing regulations.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government remained committed to protecting children online and ensuring that digital platforms meet their legal responsibilities. Communications Minister Anika Wells accused major social media companies of making only minimal efforts to enforce the law despite repeated warnings from authorities. She said the government expected stronger action from the companies rather than symbolic compliance.
The proposed legislation would also strengthen the powers of Australia’s eSafety Commissioner by allowing the regulator to compel social media companies and third-party service providers, including app stores, to produce evidence demonstrating the steps they have taken to prevent underage users from creating accounts. These expanded investigative powers are aimed at improving enforcement and ensuring greater accountability from digital platforms.
Australia’s under-16 social media restrictions came into force in December 2025 and apply to several major platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube. Since the law took effect, companies have reportedly removed or restricted more than five million accounts believed to belong to underage users. However, government officials maintain that significant gaps remain in enforcement.
The move follows research indicating that the legislation has not been fully effective in limiting young people’s access to social media. A recent study by researchers at the University of Newcastle found that a large majority of children aged between 12 and 15 continued to use social media despite the ban, often by misrepresenting their age, creating alternative accounts or using virtual private networks (VPNs) to bypass restrictions. The findings raised questions about the effectiveness of current age-verification systems used by platforms.
Despite criticism over the law’s implementation, the Albanese government has reiterated that it will continue strengthening enforcement measures rather than weakening the policy. Officials argue that the legislation is intended to hold technology companies accountable for safeguarding children online and that tougher penalties, combined with expanded regulatory powers, will encourage platforms to introduce more robust age-verification systems and improve compliance with Australia’s online safety laws.
