Australia toughens social media ban, doubles penalties for tech firms

SYDNEY, Jun 27: Australia said on Saturday it would double the maximum penalty it can impose on tech firms found to have failed to uphold a ground-breaking social media ban for children, as evidence mounts that the ban has had little effect on teen use.

The government will also strengthen the information-gathering powers of its internet regulator, the eSafety Commissioner, allowing it to compel social media companies to provide evidence of what they have done to stop under-16s from getting an account.

Under the changes, the maximum penalty for systematic failures to uphold the ban jumps to A$99 million ($68 million) from A$49.5 million.

The government reiterated that eSafety is actively investigating the possible non-compliance of five platforms: Meta's (META.O) Instagram and Facebook, Google's (GOOGL.O) YouTube, Snap's (SNAP.N) Snapchat and TikTok.�" REUTERS