Australia to Raise Maximum Fine for Social Media Age-Ban Breaches to A$99 Million and Expand Watchdog Powers

Australia will double the maximum penalty for systematic failures by technology companies to enforce its social media age ban, setting the new maximum at A$99 million. The government will also grant the online safety watchdog additional enforcement powers under the updated regime. The higher penalty applies specifically to repeated or large-scale breaches rather than isolated incidents.

Current law already imposes fines for non-compliance, but officials determined the existing maximum did not sufficiently deter major platforms. The watchdog will receive new tools to investigate and respond to violations of the age-restriction requirements. The measure builds on the existing framework that requires platforms to prevent users under a specified age from accessing their services.