Australia to Double Fines After Social Media Ban Fails

The eSafety Commissioner reported that more than 80% of children aged 10 to 15 continued using social media platforms three months after Australia's ban for under-16s took effect on December 10, 2025. A study of over 4,000 children and families found that while account ownership dropped from 52% to 42%, daily use remained nearly constant at 58%. The regulator attributed these results to the failure of tech firms to implement effective age assurance measures, noting that over half of children who kept their accounts were never asked to confirm their age.

In response to the findings, the Australian government announced plans to double maximum penalties for non-compliant firms and expand the commissioner's information-gathering powers. The eSafety Commissioner is currently investigating Meta, Snapchat, TikTok, and Google for potential non-compliance. Additionally, the Age Verification Providers Association has called for mandatory independent audits of these platforms to ensure proper tool usage.

Assistant Minister Andrew Leigh defended the policy, stating the ban has been a "game changer" in parental conversations and led to millions of account shutdowns. He compared the imperfect compliance rates to minimum drinking age laws. However, the eSafety report noted a 10% increase in parents who are unaware of their children's online habits and a rise in the use of Reddit and online gaming.