Online Safety Amendment (Strengthening Enforcement for the Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2026; Second Reading

Summary

This legislation strengthens enforcement of age restrictions on social media platforms by tightening rules around the Online Safety Act. It targets social media companies that allow children under a certain age to access their services, giving regulators stronger powers to investigate breaches and impose penalties. The change matters because it shifts responsibility onto platform operators to verify users' ages and prevents young children from accessing content designed for older audiences, addressing growing concerns about children's safety online.

What happens at this stage

The main debate on whether the chamber supports the broad purpose of the bill. Members speak to its overall merits and concerns rather than the fine print. The government outlines its policy intentions; the opposition and crossbench put their case. This is the stage that determines whether the bill proceeds at all.

Next: Consideration in Detail (House) or Committee of the Whole (Senate), where the bill is examined clause by clause