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

Summary

This amendment strengthens how the Online Safety Commissioner can enforce rules about social media platforms having a minimum age requirement for users. It modifies the Online Safety Act to give the regulator tougher powers to punish platforms that don't comply with age restrictions, including the ability to issue larger fines or take other enforcement action. The change addresses concerns that social media companies haven't been taking age limits seriously enough, allowing children younger than the legal minimum to access platforms designed for older users. For parents and young people, this means platforms will face real consequences if they fail to keep underage users off their services, potentially making social media safer for children.

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