Australia Strengthens Teen Social Media Ban, Doubles Maximum Penalties for Tech Companies

Australia Boosts Online Safety Bill Penalties and Doubles Fines on Tech Companies - Australian Online Child Protection 2:31 PM • June 11, 2023 • AP BY KELVIN CHAN Sydney (AP) - Australia announced plans to dramatically ramp up penalties for technology companies in its proposed online safety legislation, nearly doubling potential fines for failing to enforce rules designed to shield children from the harms of social media. The measures are the latest move by Australian lawmakers to make some of the world’s strictest regulations for the social media industry even more stringent. Social media platforms - including many popular apps where users generate content and communicate online - would be subject to far higher financial penalties if they violate the country’s new rules mandating measures to prevent underage children from accessing services for adults, according to updated proposed legislation released Monday by Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland.

Rowland said the higher penalties will serve as a significant deterrent and put compliance to child-related laws top of mind for companies.

"This will provide companies with the incentive they need to make a proper, significant business priority out of ensuring the safety of young people on their platforms, not just a tick-the-box exercise," Rowland said. The proposed law would require platforms to implement reasonable measures to identify and verify users' ages in an attempt to restrict children below the minimum threshold of around 13 years old from signing up. Rowland has previously said authorities expect platforms to develop a wide range of methods to verify age, including using technology that is balanced with privacy considerations. Governments worldwide are increasing scrutiny of how social media companies, some of the world's largest and most influential corporations, manage online child safety and protect younger users from issues such as bullying, exposure to graphic content and addictive designs.

Australian officials argue that current industry standards aren’t sufficient to ensure safety online.

The Australian legislation also faces criticism, with privacy advocates raising concerns over how platforms could verify a user’s age without the over collection of sensitive personal data. "Privacy regulators have cautioned that a robust, foolproof system could only come with a level of collection that most Australians would find invasive," said Senator David Shoebridge, an opposition member who raised a preliminary bill related to online safety during a recent parliamentary session. Other groups and some teenagers have questioned the effectiveness of the proposed regulations, noting that determined users could still find ways to bypass such restrictions through VPNs, borrowed accounts, and other tricks.

The move follows earlier attempts by Australia to impose stricter controls over digital life in the country, including efforts to curb misinformation and promote fair competition among tech platforms. In the past, the country has led other nations with regulations on how tech giants operate within its borders. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has promised to crack down on problematic online behavior following the death of a teenager in Western Australia in February whose online communications were shared widely online.

Australia has become an increasingly active and prominent player in the global regulation of the tech industry in recent years.

Its push for greater accountability and protections for online users puts it in step with growing calls around the world to regulate Silicon Valley’s influence.