The Australian government wants new laws. They want to stop children under 16 from using social media.

澳洲政府希望制定新法律，以阻止 16 歲以下兒童使用社交媒體。

The government wants to give big fines to companies. Companies must pay 99 million dollars if they let children use the apps. A special officer can now ask for secret company emails and papers. If companies do not give these papers, they must pay more money.

政府希望對公司處以巨額罰款。如果公司允許兒童使用這些應用程式，必須支付 9,900 萬美元。現在一名特別專員可以要求調閱公司機密電子郵件和文件。如果公司不提供這些文件，則必須支付更多款項。

Many children still use Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. The government says companies lied about this. They say the old rules did not work.

許多兒童仍在使用 Facebook、Instagram 和 TikTok。政府表示公司對此撒謊，並稱舊有規則並未奏效。

Some leaders agree with these new laws. Other leaders say the laws are not good. Meta says they use AI to find children. But the government says this is not enough.

部分領導人同意這些新法律，而其他領導人則認為這些法律並不理想。Meta 表示他們使用 AI 來識別兒童，但政府認為這樣做還不夠。

The government wants to make sure social media companies follow the age rules.

政府希望確保社交媒體公司遵守年齡限制規定。

The Australian government has proposed new laws to increase financial penalties and give the eSafety Commissioner more power to enforce the social media ban for children under 16.

澳洲政府已提議新法案，旨在增加罰金並賦予 eSafety 專員更多權力，以強制執行 16 歲以下兒童禁用社交媒體的禁令。

These changes are being introduced because the government believes current rules are not working. Specifically, they plan to double the maximum fine to 99 million AUD for platforms that fail to use reasonable age-restriction tools. Furthermore, the eSafety Commissioner will be able to demand internal company documents, such as emails and board meeting notes, from social media companies and age-verification services. Companies that refuse to provide this information could face fines of up to 1.65 million AUD.

之所以推出這些變更，是因為政府認為目前的規定並不奏效。具體而言，針對未能使用合理年齡限制工具的平台，最高罰金將翻倍至 9,900 萬澳幣。此外，eSafety 專員將有權要求社交媒體公司和年齡驗證服務商提供內部文件，例如電子郵件和董事會會議記錄。拒絕提供此類資訊的公司可能面臨最高 165 萬澳幣的罰款。

Data shows a gap between what companies claim and how the platforms are actually used. Although five million accounts were closed after the ban started on December 10, reports from March show that 70% of underage users on apps like TikTok and Instagram are still active. Consequently, the government has stated that the current reporting system is not good enough, as the eSafety Commissioner had to rely on the honesty of the tech companies.

數據顯示，公司的聲稱與平台的實際使用情況之間存在差距。儘管禁令於 12 月 10 日生效後有 500 萬個帳號被關閉，但 3 月的報告顯示，TikTok 和 Instagram 等應用程式中 70% 的未成年用戶依然活躍。因此，政府表示目前的申報制度並不完善，因為 eSafety 專員此前必須依賴科技公司的誠信。

Different political groups have different views on this issue. The Labor government wants the laws passed quickly, and the opposition is willing to support them because the original rules were too weak. However, the Greens argue that the laws are flawed and that the government should instead regulate how data is collected and how algorithms work. In response, Meta has explained that it uses AI and visual technology to find underage profiles, but the government insists that these improvements are not sufficient.

不同的政治團體對此議題看法不一。工黨政府希望法案能儘快通過，而反對黨也願意支持，因為原有的規定過於寬鬆。然而，綠黨主張這些法律存在缺陷，政府應轉而監管數據收集方式及演算法的運作。對此，Meta 解釋其使用 AI 和視覺技術來偵測未成年帳號，但政府堅持認為這些改進仍不足夠。

The Australian government is now working to strengthen its laws to make sure technology companies follow the minimum age requirements for social media.

澳洲政府目前正致力於強化法律，以確保科技公司遵守社交媒體的最低年齡要求。

The Australian government has introduced draft legislation to increase financial penalties and expand the investigative powers of the eSafety Commissioner regarding the enforcement of the social media ban for individuals under 16.

澳洲政府已提出法案草案，旨在增加罰金並擴大電子安全專員（eSafety Commissioner）在執行 16 歲以下人士社交媒體禁令方面的調查權限。

The proposed legislative amendments are predicated on the perceived inadequacy of current compliance mechanisms. Specifically, the government intends to double the maximum penalty for platforms failing to implement reasonable age-restriction measures to 99 million AUD. Furthermore, the eSafety Commissioner would be granted the authority to compel the production of internal corporate documentation—including board minutes and electronic correspondence—from both social media entities and third-party age-verification providers. Non-compliance with these information requests may result in fines of up to 1.65 million AUD.

擬議的法律修正案是基於目前合規機制不足的考量。具體而言，政府打算將未能採取合理年齡限制措施之平台的最高罰款額提高至 9,900 萬澳幣，增加一倍。此外，電子安全專員將獲權要求社交媒體實體及第三方年齡驗證供應商提供內部公司文件，包括董事會會議紀錄與電子郵件。若不遵守此類資訊要求，最高可能面臨 165 萬澳幣的罰款。

Historical data indicates a discrepancy between institutional claims and actual platform usage. While approximately five million accounts were deactivated following the December 10 implementation, eSafety reports from March suggest that 70% of underage users on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok remained active. Consequently, the administration has characterized the current reporting regime as insufficient, asserting that the eSafety Commissioner was previously reliant upon the veracity of self-reported data from technology firms.

歷史數據顯示，機構聲稱的情況與平台實際使用情況存在差距。雖然在 12 月 10 日實施後約有 500 萬個帳號被停用，但 3 月的電子安全報告顯示，Facebook、Instagram、Snapchat 及 TikTok 等平台上的未成年用戶仍有 70% 保持活躍。因此，政府將目前的報告機制定調為不足，並主張電子安全專員先前過於依賴科技公司自行報告數據的真實性。

Stakeholder positioning remains varied. The Labor government seeks expedited passage of the laws, while the opposition has indicated a willingness to support the reforms, citing the original framework as insufficiently robust. Conversely, representatives from the Greens have argued that the legislation is fundamentally flawed, suggesting that the mitigation of harm requires the regulation of data harvesting and algorithmic design. In response to these pressures, Meta has detailed its utilization of artificial intelligence and visual detection technology to identify underage profiles, although the government maintains that systemic improvements have not materialized.

持份者的立場各異。工黨政府尋求加速通過法律，而反對黨則表示願意支持改革，理由是原始框架不夠強健。相反地，綠黨代表則認為該立法有根本性缺陷，建議緩解傷害需要對數據採集與演算法設計進行監管。面對這些壓力，Meta 詳細說明了其如何利用人工智慧與視覺偵測技術來識別未成年帳號，但政府仍堅持系統性的改善尚未實現。

The Australian government is currently seeking to strengthen its legal framework to ensure technology companies adhere to the minimum age requirements for social media access.

澳洲政府目前正尋求強化其法律框架，以確保科技公司遵守社交媒體存取的最低年齡要求。