In a move to further tighten its under-16 social media ban, Australia has introduced new legislation that could see its internet regulator take legal action against non-compliant tech giants.
Australia’s parliament has received new legislation aimed at strengthening the enforcement of its social media ban. This comes in the wake of evidence that children are still accessing these platforms, six months after the global-first restrictions were implemented, reported Reuters on Monday.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese voiced concern over the continued presence of children on social media platforms, accusing tech firms of inadequate compliance with the ban. Albanese urged the Coalition opposition to support the bill, highlighting that the original social media ban was approved with bipartisan backing.
“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,” Albanese stated in Canberra.
Australia’s eSafety regulator is investigating Meta Platforms Inc.’s (NASDAQ:META) Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat parent Snap Inc. (NYSE:SNAP), TikTok, and Alphabet Inc.‘s (NASDAQ:GOOGL) (NASDAQ:GOOG) YouTube for potential non-compliance, while new legislation proposes doubling the maximum penalties to A$99 million ($68.2 million).
The bill also empowers the eSafety Commissioner to demand documents like company board minutes and internal emails, ensuring legal cases against non-compliant platforms are as “strong as possible,” according to Communications Minister Anika Wells. “Today Australia is sending a message to those companies: we see what you’re doing, we are not here to play games.” said Wells.
Notably, the legislation must be approved by Parliament before it can take effect.
Meta, Alphabet, and Snap did not immediately respond to Benzinga’s request for comments.
Australia’s Ban Sparks Debate
The Australian under-16 social media ban has been a topic of global discussion. Earlier this month, the UK Prime Minister announced a similar ban, drawing inspiration from Australia’s restrictions. However, the move faced criticism from Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who dubbed it a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” and claimed the real aim is to allow the government to track everyone through identity verification requirements.
Moreover, the new legislation could potentially escalate tensions and impact Australia’s trade relations with the U.S. Just days before Australia’s announcement, President Donald Trump threatened to impose 100% tariffs, superseding existing trade deals, on countries taxing American tech giants such as Meta Platforms, Alphabet Inc. and Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN). Trump particularly pointed to "Numerous European Countries,” though.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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