Jun 30, 2026
Tech companies in Australia could soon face fines of up to $99 million AUD, or about $68.2 million USD, if they fail to keep children under 16 off social media platforms.
The proposed penalty would double the current maximum fine of $49.5 million AUD, according to Reuters, and comes after research found that more than 80% of under-16s in Australia were still using social media despite the country’s landmark ban.
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“It’s clear big tech are not doing enough to comply with the law — there are still too many children on social media,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, according to The Verge.
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The fines would not apply to children or parents. Instead, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner says the law targets platforms, which must take “reasonable steps” to prevent under-16s from creating accounts.
Countries are holding Big Tech responsible
Australia’s under-16 social media restriction passed Parliament in November 2024 and took effect on December 10, 2025. The government is now seeking to give the eSafety Commissioner stronger powers to demand internal documents from platforms and third-party age-verification providers. Reuters reported that Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube are among the platforms under investigation for possible noncompliance.
The United Kingdom has taken a different approach. Rather than a blanket under-16 social media ban, the U.K.’s Online Safety Act requires social media companies and search services to protect children from illegal and harmful content. Since July 25, 2025, platforms have been required to meet child-safety obligations, including using “highly effective age assurance” to prevent children from accessing pornography and certain harmful content related to suicide, self-harm and eating disorders.
Companies that fail to comply with the U.K. law can be fined up to £18 million or 10% of qualifying worldwide revenue, whichever is greater. In some cases, senior managers can also face criminal action, including for failing to respond to information requests from Ofcom, the U.K. regulator.
France has also moved to restrict children’s social media use. In 2023, the country approved a law requiring parental consent for children under 15 to create social media accounts. Platforms that breach the law can face fines of up to 1% of global revenue, according to Le Monde.
In the U.S., there is no federal underage social media ban, but several states have tried to impose restrictions. Florida passed a law barring children under 14 from certain social media accounts and requiring parental consent for 14- and 15-year-olds. The law has faced court challenges.
In 2023, Montana became the first state to pass a law banning TikTok statewide, citing national security concerns over its Chinese ownership. The law would have imposed $10,000-per-day penalties on TikTok and app stores that made the app available, but a federal judge blocked it before it took effect, finding it likely violated the First Amendment.
Norway has also moved toward tougher limits, with the government saying in 2025 that it planned to propose an absolute age limit of 15 for social media access.
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Does banning kids from social media actually work?
Australia’s experience shows how difficult enforcement can be.
A University of Newcastle study found that more than 85% of surveyed Australian teens under 16 were still using social media three months after the ban took effect.
Children reportedly bypassed restrictions by creating fake accounts, using private browsers or finding other workarounds. That is part of why Australia is now trying to increase penalties and give regulators more power to inspect what companies are actually doing behind the scenes.
There is also debate over whether bans address the underlying harm. Brookings noted that it is unclear whether social media bans will reduce children’s excessive use, especially if children can simply evade age checks or move to less regulated online spaces.
Research on platform safety systems also suggests that age labels alone may not be enough. A 2025 study of TikTok, YouTube and Instagram found that accounts assigned to 13-year-old users were still served harmful videos, with younger YouTube accounts encountering harmful content more often than 18-year-old accounts in passive scrolling tests.
Governments are increasingly treating children’s social media use as a platform accountability issue, not just a parenting issue. But Australia’s early evidence suggests that even massive fines may not keep children offline unless companies develop age verification protocols that are hard to bypass.
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Clay Halton is an associate editor at Money.ca, covering a wide range of consumer-focused financial stories. He has over eight years of experience in digital publishing and has written and edited for outlets including PCMag and Investopedia.
