Elon Musk’s X fined $380K over “serious” child safety concerns, watchdog says

Today, X (formerly known as Twitter) became the first platform fined under Australia's Online Safety Act. The fine comes after X failed to respond to more than a dozen key questions from Australia eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, who sought clarity on how effectively X detects and mitigates harms of child exploitation and grooming on the platform.

In a press release, Inman Grant said that X was given 28 days to appeal the decision or pay the approximately $380,000 fine. While the fine seems small, the reputational ding could further hurt X's chances of persuading advertisers to increase spending on the platform, Reuters suggested. And any failure to comply or respond could trigger even more fines—with X potentially on the hook for as much as $493,402 daily for alleged non-compliance dating back to March 2023, The Guardian reported. That could quickly add up to tens of millions if X misses the Australian regulator's deadline.

“If they choose not to pay, it’s open to eSafety to take other action or to seek a civil penalty through the courts,” Inman Grant told the Sydney Morning Herald. “We’re talking about some of the most heinous crimes playing out on these platforms, committed against innocent children.”