Australia formally introduced new legislation on June 29, 2026, that doubles the maximum penalty for social media companies breaching the ban on children under 16 from A$49.5 million to A$99 million [1, 2, 3, 4]. The bill also strengthens the powers of the eSafety Commissioner, allowing the regulator to compel social media providers and third parties like age verification firms and app stores to hand over evidence about their compliance efforts [5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 1, 2, 3, 4].
The government announced the tougher measures publicly on June 27, responding to findings that despite the ban coming into effect on December 10, 2025, about 70-85% of children under 16 who previously used social media still access these platforms by bypassing age restrictions [5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11]. More than 5 million accounts belonging to under-16s have been deactivated or restricted since the ban began [6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 3].
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, "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 – there are still too many children on social media" [5]. He added, "We’re calling time on the social media companies today and doubling down on the changes that we have made and that we’re prepared to make" [1].
Communications Minister Anika Wells criticized the platforms’ enforcement of the ban, stating, "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" [5]. She warned, "If you want to do business in Australia, you will comply with Australian laws. And if you don’t, you will face the consequences" [1].
The eSafety Commissioner is actively investigating five major platforms—Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube—for potential non-compliance with the under-16 ban [5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 1, 3, 4]. An industry group representing tech suppliers has pushed back, blaming enforcement shortcomings on platforms’ weak deployment of age verification, not technological limits [9, 10].
Research involving 408 adolescents found many minors circumvent age checks by falsifying their age or submitting selfies that pass platform verification [8, 9, 10, 11]. Reddit has challenged the ban in the Australian High Court, citing freedom of speech concerns [8].
The ban’s trial period has lasted about six months since December 10, 2025, with legislation now introduced to ramp up enforcement and penalties [5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 1]. The Australian parliament is expected to debate the new bill promptly as calls for bipartisan support grow [1, 3, 4].
