Chris Minns backs doubling of penalties as tech giants accused of ‘not doing enough’ on social media youth ban
Make us a preferred source
Make us a preferred source on Google
The news: NSW Premier Chris Minns has backed the federal government’s decision to double maximum penalties to $99 million, up from $49.5 million, for tech giants that breach the social media minimum age law.
“Australia’s signaled its intent here that we’re going to look after the childhoods of young people,” Minns told Sky News on Sunday morning.
Environment Minister Murray Watt, appearing on Sky shortly after Minns, was asked whether big tech is failing to cooperate with the law.
He said the tech giants were not cooperating “as much as we’d like them to” but said the ban was working, though he conceded the government had “always said that some kids would find ways to get around these systems just as there are some kids who drink underage as well”.
The context: On Sunday morning the federal government unveiled plans to toughen up the social media ban that prohibits children under 16 years old from using the services.
More than 5 million under-16s accounts have been removed, deactivated or restricted since the ban started, on 10 December.
The fresh changes give the eSafety Commissioner the ability to compel social media companies to provide evidence of how they’re working to enforce the ban.
The eSafety Commissioner is currently looking into Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube over instances of potential non-compliance.
Opposition education spokesman Julian Leeser told Sky News he wants to see young people “exercise their brain power in the most fulsome way possible”.
“Given the challenges Australia faces in the coming years, given the challenges the world faces we need young people to be at their sharpest and spending hours and hours on social media does not help that, so I support the principle of the social media ban,” he said.
But he accused Labor of having “fumbled” the ban saying it is clear there’s some who are “subverting” the ban and “big tech haven’t taken this seriously enough”.
What they said: “At best social media is a giant time suck for young people and at worst it’s robbing them of their childhood,” Minns said.
“If it’s going to be willfully ignored by some of the wealthiest companies in the world, well they can dig deep and pay the fines to the federal government. I think it’s a good initiative, I’ve glad they’ve done it.”
In a joint statement with Communications Minister Anika Wells, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the nation is “leading the world in our efforts to keep kids and young people safe online”.
“I’m heartened by the shift in conversation and the global momentum we’ve seen since introducing the social media minimum age, but it’s clear big tech are not doing enough to comply with the law — there are still too many children on social media,” Albanese said.
“These changes reflect the seriousness with which we take any failure by social media companies to comply with our world-leading law.”
Wells said it is “clear to me that social media platforms are adopting tricks straight out of the big tech playbook and doing the bare minimum to get by”.
“In response, I am making sure the regulator has stronger tools to get the job done and doubling the fines for non-compliance,” she said.
“Social media platforms are some of the richest and most powerful companies in the world, and we’re serious about holding them to account.”
The sources: Sky News, Prime Minister and Communications Minister statement
