Australia wants to double penalties for under-16 social media age-ban breaches to A$99 million and give its eSafety Commissioner stronger powers to demand evidence from platforms, app stores, and age-assurance vendors. The fight is shifting from account removals to proof that age checks actually work.
The UK is preparing an “Australia plus” under-16 social media plan that would reach beyond TikTok and Instagram into gaming chat, late-night scrolling, AI chatbots, and age-verification systems.