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Technology · 14 August 2026

Australia's Under-16 Social Media Ban: Why Tech Giants Want More Time

Australia's Under-16 Social Media Ban: Why Tech Giants Want More Time

Photo by Julian on Unsplash

Politicians are considering whether to double maximum fines to $64 million for platforms that ignore the new laws. Research by the national internet regulator suggests 80% of children still use the apps, months after the December restriction began. Executives from Google and Meta told a hearing their age-checking software is getting better, having already closed hundreds of thousands of underage profiles.

Reported by Reuters · How we write briefs

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