The Albanese government has announced that it plans to double fines for social media platforms that fail to comply with the under-16 social media ban from $49.5 million to $99 million.
The move comes following reports that more than 80 per cent of under 16s still have access to social media accounts.
Julie Inman Grant, the eSafety Commissioner, said age-restricted platforms had removed access to 4.7 million under-16 accounts by March 2026. However, a new study has showed many teenage users have retained or regained access.
The University of Newcastle study of 408 adolescents aged 12 to 17 found social media usage remained steady among 12 to 13-year-olds. It also found that age checks were often self-declared and common workarounds included fake accounts or accounts belonging to friends or family.
In response, the Albanese government has proposed a set of reforms to give the eSafety Commissioner more powers.
This will include the ability to compel social media companies to provide evidence of what they have done to stop under-16s from opening or using accounts. Commissioners would also be able to demand information from third parties including age assurance or app store providers.
The eSafety Commissioner is investigating potential non-compliance across Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube.
“Six months into our world-leading social media law, I am not satisfied that tech companies are doing everything they can to keep under-16s off their platforms,” said Australian Minister for Communications Anika Wells.
“Based on the regular updates I receive from the eSafety Commissioner, it is clear to me that social media platforms are adopting tricks straight out of the big tech playbook and doing the bare minimum to get by.
“Social media platforms are some of the richest and most powerful companies in the world, and we’re serious about holding them to account.
“These tough new penalties and powers show we will not back down. Instead, we are doubling down on our efforts to hold big tech to account.”
“I’m heartened by the shift in conversation and the global momentum we’ve seen since introducing the social media minimum age, but it’s clear big tech are not doing enough to comply with the law – there are still too many children on social media,” said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
“These changes reflect the seriousness with which we take any failure by social media companies to comply with our world-leading law.”
Many other countries have followed suit on Australia’s world first social media ban for under 16s, which came into effect on December 10, 2025.
Canada has also introduced a bill to ban under-16s from holding social media accounts, set new safety rules for AI chatbots and create a new regulator with power to fine non-compliant platforms.
B&T contacted Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube for comment.
Snapchat declined to comment when reached by B&T.
