Fines Doubled As Teens Outsmart Australia's Social Media Ban (euronews.com)
- Reference: 0184326476
- News link: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/26/07/06/0459219/fines-doubled-as-teens-outsmart-australias-social-media-ban
- Source link: https://www.euronews.com/next/2026/06/29/fines-doubled-as-teens-outsmart-australias-world-first-social-media-ban
> The government said Sunday it would introduce draft legislation this week doubling the maximum penalty to 99 million Australian dollars (63 million euros) for platforms -- including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok -- that do not take reasonable steps to comply with the ban, which became law on 10 December. Communications Minister Anika Wells blamed the platforms directly. "We can all agree we would like the scheme to work better than it is currently, but that is on Big Tech taking the Mickey," she said, speaking to the Australian Broadcasting Corp on Monday. Wells added that she had received monthly updates from the online safety regulator since March and "we are not seeing improvements."
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> The amendments would also expand the powers of eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant to demand information and documents from platforms -- and from third parties such as age assurance technology providers -- to test claims made by companies about how under-16s continued to circumvent the ban. The government had initially reported more than 5 million children had accounts removed, deactivated or restricted after the legislation passed. But eSafety found in March that 70% of children who held accounts on restricted platforms on the day the ban took effect remained active on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok.
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> Inman Grant said in April she was considering court action against those platforms and YouTube, alleging they were not taking reasonable steps to exclude children. She said she was satisfied with progress made by the remaining restricted platforms: X, Kick, Reddit, Threads and Twitch. Senior opposition lawmaker Jane Hume said her party would consider supporting the reforms, but pinned blame on the original legislation. "The legislation was clearly undercooked in the first place. The eSafety Commissioner wasn't given the powers to be able to pursue these Big Tech companies," she said.
[1] https://www.euronews.com/next/2026/06/29/fines-doubled-as-teens-outsmart-australias-world-first-social-media-ban
[2] https://yro.slashdot.org/story/26/04/25/236216/australias-teen-social-media-ban-isnt-working-half-their-teens-still-have-access-survey-finds
Weird (Score:3)
Its almost like actual patenting and not laws that protect children.
Predictable (Score:2)
Surprise surprise.
The foolish attempt to save the children by taking away everyone's privacy and the children's freedom is thwarted by the children subverting their laws.
If you want to save the children, do not try to save them, instead protect us ALL by changing the algorithms to push people toward truth rather than the shocking.
If you really want kids off (Score:2)
force them to do their homework using it every day.
This just further isolates kids (Score:4, Insightful)
My experience is the US, mind, not AU, so things are probably somewhat different there. But with that caveat in mind: At least on school days, the ONLY social interaction my 10 year old son gets with his peers is online through "social media". I've sent him outside to "bike around the neighborhood and find someone to play with" and he reported that there wasn't anyone. I walked around with him and sure enough, the streets were deserted @ 3:00 on a weekday afternoon. All the kids are kept inside or at some structured after school activity. If I want him to go to a friend's house that is not in walking distance my wife or I have to take time off to drive him there and pick him up. In my day you could just hop on your friend's bus and get off at his stop with him, but they don't allow that anymore (even with a not from the parents: I checked with the school).
Now that it is summer, everyone is in "camp", so again, no playmates if you don't also send your kid to "camp". I guess no one fucks around in each other's yard, plays pickup baseball, or goes fishing anymore. I've tried to raise my kids to have active independent childhoods, but without the network effect of other parents giving their kids the same freedoms, it just ain't happening.
So his friend group mostly coordinates through discord on their iPads to play minecraft and other online activities together as their main form of play. I understand that a lot of these social media platforms are not healthy for kids, but for many it is their ONLY outlet. To the extent social media gets regulated, it should be to curb predatory practices by the platform. That plus good parenting and supervision should be sufficient. But an outright ban is overkill.
Re: This just further isolates kids (Score:2)
Considering how critical early access to the internet was for my development, I feel the restrictions being imposed are a digital and social lobotomy. And here in UK we're banning YouTube, arguably the greatest source of engaging educational material available, but allowing kids to marinate in netflix slop.
Fines can't stop... (Score:3)
..creative and motivated kids.
Kids find workarounds and governments are living in a fantasy world
Re: (Score:1)
My teen son found ways around all the gizmo barriers we tried to put up because he devoted many hours a day planning his way around us, and sure enough out-MacGyver'd us. I wouldn't directly call him a "tech whiz", but rather determined enough to google around to find cracks in a system.
We suspect he bought $10 devices off eBay or from friends, being cheap due to cracked screens or cosmetic defects, and hacked into the neighbor's wifi. We took the lock off his door, but he barricaded it with furniture. Or h
Ban smartphones for minors (Score:2)
It won't get all of them, but banning smartphones for anyone under 16 will likely cull the majority of this issue.
( They can still have a dumb phone to keep in touch with parents )
Parents will have to be parents and keep them off home desktops / tablets / etc.
The other method would be to instead fine the parents instead of the platforms.
( The parents are providing the hardware means to access to the platforms in most cases )
Make the fine cost 2x the price of a smartphone and the parents will take away said
This felony screams for hard punishment (Score:3)
Hard and harsh punishment was always the solution - without it, Australia wouldn't even be populated.
As I age (Score:2)
I come to realize that humans stumble forward by trial and error. The thing is, it takes multiple errors and we learn for a while then we repeat the same errors from the past.
We learnt nothing from smoking, drinking and porn. We have to once again repeat the error with social networks.
The answer is clear but you get blasted for mentioning it. So I won't.
Surely (Score:2)
There is surely a better way to protect children.
Re: (Score:1)
It's called parenting, but no one wants to do it!
Re: (Score:2)
This is like saying there is a better way to stop crime: "it's called being honest, but no one wants to do it". You have a jail because not all people will be honest, and you have to protect the children because not everyone will do parenting.
But you are wrong about something. Just like it is false to say everyone is dishonest, it is false to say no one wants to do parenting. You don't have to do something about it because everyone is a bad parent, but because of them are.
However, I don't believe that
Re: Surely (Score:2)
This is parenting! Kids are learning how the internet works. In their free time!
Re: (Score:2)
> Kids are learning how the internet works.
They are also learning government is something that frequently needs to be worked around. A lesson that will serve them well their entire lives.
Re: (Score:3)
Have you tried it?
Parenting in a world where kids face unlimited temptation to consume things that you believe are harmful to them paired with near instance access all over the damn place is pretty hard.
In ever previous era, with every previous vice society has agreed to put at least some barriers in front of children and to do so in a mostly if not perfect way. Most 8 year olds cannot simply go get a case a beer anytime they want, and if they do there is ample opportunity for parents to find out about.
Re: (Score:2)
I haven't made poor choices though. I have happy healthy child, and a great life thank you very much. I think I'd pretty much do it all over again save for a stock trade or 10.
That said people like you are making that harder for everyone else to achieve. Why, I don't know; you're addicted porn, you own Alphabet stock, who knows.
Nobody is forcing you to do shit, we are talking about regulating what are in fact dangerous products; like we do everything else. The simple truth is this, if you think it is re
Re: Surely (Score:2)
I got shitty parent vibes from the post too.
Re: (Score:2)
The problem with this attitude is it doesn't solve anything. It's like blaming the obesity epidemic on people's lack of willpower/not exercising enough.
When 73% of the population is overweight/obese, it's just foolish to act like it's an issue with individuals. There is something systemically wrong.