The Australian government introduced legislation on Monday to double maximum penalties for social media platforms that fail to prevent under-16s from holding accounts, and to grant the eSafety Commissioner new powers to compel internal documents and third-party age-verification data. The move follows the world-first ban that took effect in December 2025, which officials acknowledge has been undermined by widespread circumvention.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Communications Minister Anika Wells have accused the platforms of not doing enough to comply, with Wells alleging “dirty tricks” and a deliberate effort to see the laws fail. The opposition’s Jane Hume indicated her party may support the bill, while criticising the original legislation as poorly drafted and lacking enforcement teeth. The eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, had previously warned that her office lacked sufficient tools to build Federal Court cases, and her office welcomed the proposed new powers. The five platforms under investigation—Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and Google’s YouTube—either declined to comment or did not respond.

The bill would raise the maximum fine for systemic breaches to A$99 million (US$68.2 million) from A$49.5 million. The commissioner would be able to demand board minutes, internal emails, and information from age-assurance contractors to test platforms’ claims about how minors evade restrictions. A study by the University of Newcastle, published in the British Medical Journal, found that more than 80 per cent of children surveyed were still using social media after the ban, with “limited implementation, incomplete compliance, and substantial circumvention.” The government says over five million accounts belonging to under-16s have been blocked or restricted since December.

Australia’s regulatory experiment is being monitored by a growing number of governments that have enacted or are considering similar age-based restrictions, including the UK, France, Indonesia, and the UAE. The UAE’s new child digital safety law, for example, shifts liability onto platforms and explicitly states that parental consent cannot override the ban for under-15s. The Australian bill requires parliamentary approval, and with the opposition signalling conditional support, passage is expected in the coming weeks. The eSafety Commissioner’s investigations into the five platforms are ongoing, with enforcement decisions anticipated by mid-year.