Australia to double fines on Big Tech as children bypass social media ban

Canberra says tech platforms are still letting too many children bypass its under-16 social media ban.Australia says it will double fines on social media companies that fail to keep children off their platforms, accusing Big Tech of dodging the spirit of its under-16 ban.The government said on Saturday that new legislation would raise the maximum penalty for systemic breaches from 49.5 million to 99 million Australian dollars ($31m to $68m) and give the eSafety Commissioner stronger powers to force platforms to comply.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Australia seal World Cup knockouts spot after gritty 0-0 draw with Paraguaylist 2 of 3Israeli prosecutors charge six settlers after West Bank mosque attacklist 3 of 3Thai police arrest Australian over killing of teenager found in suitcaseend of listThe regulator is investigating possible breaches by Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube.“It’s clear Big Tech are not doing enough to comply with the law – there are still too many children on social media,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.“These changes reflect the seriousness with which we take any failure by social media companies to comply.”The ban, which came into force on December 10, made Australia a global test case for countries trying to curb children’s access to social media. The United Kingdom, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates and New Zealand are among those watching or considering similar restrictions.But children have continued to evade the rules by using accounts registered to older people, creating fake profiles or logging in through private browsers.A peer-reviewed evaluation published this month in the British Medical Journal found “insufficient evidence” that the ban had sharply reduced social media use among young people. Researchers surveyed more than 400 children before the measure took effect and again three months later, finding “substantial circumvention” of the rules.