Australia Doubles Social Media Ban Fines to 99 Million Australian Dollars
The penalty increase signals that Australia is willing to escalate enforcement against platforms it deems insufficiently compliant with the world's first under-16 social media ban.
Reporting from 1 sources: GIGAZINE.
The Australian government has doubled the maximum fine for platforms violating its under-16 social media ban to 99 million Australian dollars (about 11 billion yen), six months after the law took effect. The eSafety Commissioner's information-gathering powers have also been strengthened, and investigations into five platforms are ongoing.
The Albanese government announced the penalty increase on June 28, 2026, raising the maximum fine from 49.5 million Australian dollars to 99 million Australian dollars. The amendments also give the eSafety Commissioner expanded authority to compel social media companies to provide evidence of their compliance efforts. The commissioner is actively investigating potential non-compliance by Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube. Fines for failing to comply with information-gathering notices have also been doubled.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.