The government is doubling maximum fines to AUD 99M and empowering the eSafety Commission to demand proof from platforms and age-verification providers after regulators removed or restricted more than 5M accounts believed to belong to users under 16.Investigations are focusing on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube for potential breaches, and Communications Minister Anika Wells and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese say companies have done the minimum to comply while children continue to access social media using fake or shared accounts.Regulators and researchers, including a study in the
British Medical Journal, warn that inconsistent age checks push teenagers toward workaround methods and riskier services, so the law raises penalties to nearly €60M for repeat violations and widens investigatory powers.