Australia doubles brutal fines on big tech for not complying with social media ban
Anthony Albanese's Australian government doesn't believe that big tech companies are doing enough to comply with its strict social media laws, doubling the fine that platforms will need to pay to AU$99 million ($68 million) if they're found in breach of the rules and regulations.
Amid the growing number of age verification laws across the world, Australia became the first nation to officially implement a complete social media ban for everyone under the age of 16.
This was understandably a significant decision for both Australian citizens and the tech companies in charge of leading social platforms – especially as there exist a number of workarounds that have been 'exploited' by children so far to access these sites and apps – prompting leading politicians to increase the punishment.
Believing that harsher financial penalties are the key to kicking companies into action, the government announced on Sunday, as per the Independent, that the maximum penalty for breaching social media has been increased from AU$49.5 million ($34 million) to AU$99 million ($68 million).
When will companies face this hefty fine?
Australia's eSafety commissioner has revealed ongoing attempts to receive further information from companies like Meta – who own Facebook and Instagram – Snapchat, short form video app TikTok, and dominant video sharing platform YouTube.
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These companies are not strictly liable to the aforementioned fines for the time being, but their refusal to comply with requests from the government could leave them subject to hefty financial penalties.
"Social media platforms are some of the richest and most powerful companies in the world," argued Anika Wells, Australia's communications minister, "and we're serious about holding them to account."
The eSafety commissioner is seeking additional evidence from these companies to confirm claims regarding users under the age of 16, which would also extend to app-store providers and age assurance platforms, as some studies have downplayed the actual impact of the law in preventing children from accessing the platforms.
Are other countries implementing social media bans?
While Australia remains the only country to officially implement a child-based social media ban right now, several leading nations are either discussing the prospect or have put it into law at the time of writing.
Chief among these is the United Kingdom, which recently made the decision to mirror Australia's ruling in a somewhat controversial move that was followed up with suggestions of a widespread VPN ban and similar expensive fines.
Brazil, France, Spain, Italy, and Indonesia are all also looking to implement similar regulations to prevent children from using leading social media platforms, suggesting that it won't be long before laws are introduced in more countries than not.