Australia presents bill to limit the use of social networks in children under 16 years of age. Tech companies would face huge fines

Brisbane, Australia () –– The Australian Government is threatening multimillion-dollar fines for social media companies that violate a proposed ban on children under 16 using their services.

The Minister of Communications, Michelle Rowland, presented this Thursday in Parliament an amendment to the Online Safety Act, which the Government presented as a “world-leading social media reform”.

“The Albanese Government is introducing world-leading legislation to set 16 as the minimum age to access social media,” Rowland said in a statement.

“This reform aims to protect young people and let parents know that we are here to support them,” he added.

The legislation includes financial penalties of up to 50 million Australian dollars (US$32.5 million) for companies that have not taken “reasonable steps to prevent age-restricted users from having accounts.”

The ban is expected to apply to social media platforms including TikTok, X, Instagram and Snapchat, although a list of banned services has not been published.

The legislation has bipartisan support and, if passed, would take effect within a year.

“The legislation puts the onus on social media platforms, not parents or children, to ensure protections are in place,” Rowland said. “Ultimately, this is about supporting a safer and healthier online environment for young Australians.”

The legislation comes in the wake of several high-profile cases of children who committed suicide after alleging online bullying and complaints from parents about the pressure their children face to be online.

Many parents and pro-ban campaigners praised the bill as a long-awaited measure to impose liability on technology companies for the tools Australian children use online.

However, critics say the proposed ban is a blunt instrument that will reduce teens’ access to support networks and create greater risks for those who violate the ban.

Both sides agree on the risks posed by children spending too much time online and the need for technology companies to do more to protect their products.

The Australian Government also commissioned the British Age Check Certification Scheme consortium to trial age verification technology, to assist efforts to keep children off social media platforms.

In addition, a “digital duty of care” is proposed for providers, who have to “keep users safe and help prevent harm online.” Similar agreements were introduced elsewhere that allow users to file complaints and authorities to take action.