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LoginAustralia Cracks Down on Under-16 Social Media Use, Doubles Penalties for Big Tech
Sydney, June 28 (QNA) - Australia officially announced Saturday its intention to roll back loopholes by tightening legislation governing the blanket ban on children under the age of 16 using social media.
It also intends to double the maximum financial penalties imposed on major technology firms found to be non-compliant with the regulations.
The stringent measures are intended to compel major technology firms to transition from conventional age-verification methods based on self-declaration to advanced technologies leveraging AI and biometric indicators to estimate users' ages more accurately, thereby closing software loopholes that had hitherto allowed minors to create fake accounts and circumvent previous restrictions.
Under the new amendments, the maximum penalty for systemic failures in enforcing the ban will increase to AUD 99 million (USD 68 million), up from AUD 49.5 million.
The government confirmed that the eSafety Commissioner is currently investigating the potential non-compliance of five platforms: Instagram and Facebook, owned by Meta; YouTube, owned by Google; Snapchat, owned by Snap; and TikTok.
The updated legal amendments grant the Commission expanded technical powers to gain direct access to data and examine the platforms' operating algorithms through independent third parties, including reviewing the operational mechanisms of app stores.
That said, Australia was the first country to prohibit social media use by children under the age of 16, before other countries later moved to regulate such use amid growing concerns over the health and safety of minors. (QNA)
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