Australia Cracks Down on Big Tech with Hefty Fines for Failing to Protect Children

The Australian government has announced plans to significantly increase penalties for social media companies that fail to prevent children from accessing their platforms. Under new legislation, the maximum fine for systemic breaches will rise from 49. 5 million to 99 million Australian dollars, and the eSafety Commissioner will be granted stronger powers to enforce compliance. This move comes after an investigation found that children are still finding ways to bypass the under-16 ban, which was introduced in December.

Despite the ban, many young people are using accounts registered to older individuals, creating fake profiles, or logging in through private browsers to access social media sites. A recent study published in the British Medical Journal found that there is insufficient evidence to suggest that the ban has led to a significant reduction in social media use among young people. The government claims that over five million accounts held by under-16s have been blocked, but Communications Minister Anika Wells argues that social media platforms are not doing enough to comply with the law. The new powers granted to the eSafety Commissioner will allow for the demand of documents and evidence from platforms, age-checking companies, and app stores, and will require platforms to demonstrate that they have taken reasonable steps to prevent under-16s from accessing their sites.

Some platforms are using artificial intelligence to estimate user ages, while others are allowing users to verify their age with a government ID. The Australian government's actions are being closely watched by other countries, including the UK, Indonesia, and New Zealand, which are considering similar restrictions on social media use by children.

Source: Al Jazeera