Australia considers tougher enforcement of social media ban for teens

Australia's prime minister said on June 26 that he wants to make the country's social media ban for children as strong as possible. The ban, which started last December, stops platforms like Instagram and YouTube from giving accounts to anyone under 16. But a new study found that most teens are still using social media, even with the ban in place.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spoke to the Australian Broadcasting Corp. about his plans. He said the government wants to 'stress-test' the law to make sure it holds up if companies try to fight it in court. He also said it was important that the eSafety Commission — Australia's internet regulator — has enough power to do its job properly.

The eSafety Commission and Communications Minister Anika Wells said they are getting ready to take legal action against several platforms. Companies that are found to have clearly broken the rules could face a fine of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars. The regulator did not give more details about its next steps.

A study published in the British Medical Journal this week looked at 408 teenagers aged 12 to 15. It found that 85 percent of them were still using social media three months after the ban took effect. That means the ban has not yet made a big difference in how many teens are going online.

The study also found out how teens were getting around the ban. Two-thirds of underage users stayed online by lying about their age or posting a photo that the platform accepted as being over 16. This shows that the age-checking systems used by the platforms are easy to fool.

Australia's ban is the first of its kind in the world, and many other countries are watching closely. Britain, for example, announced in June that it plans to go even further, adding rules for gaming and live-streaming platforms too. The website Reddit has also challenged Australia's ban in court, though those hearings are still in early stages.