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

Summary

This amendment strengthens rules around enforcing a minimum age requirement for social media use in Australia. It modifies the Online Safety Act to give the eSafety Commissioner stronger powers to take action against social media companies that fail to prevent children under the minimum age from accessing their platforms. The change matters because it creates real consequences for platforms that don't properly check users' ages, moving beyond existing rules that were harder to enforce — meaning social media companies now face stronger incentives to actually verify users are old enough before letting them sign up, rather than just hoping they'll comply.

What happens at this stage

The final vote in this chamber on the bill as a whole, after all amendments have been considered. If it passes, the bill moves to the other chamber to go through the same process. If both chambers have already agreed to identical text, the bill proceeds directly to Royal Assent.

Next: The other chamber, which runs the same process from First Reading, or Royal Assent if both chambers have already agreed