Elon Musk’s X Corp fined for failing to comply with Australia’s child safety notice
Consensus Summary
Elon Musk’s X Corp has been fined $650,000 by the Federal Court of Australia for failing to comply with a notice from the eSafety Commissioner regarding measures to address child sexual exploitation material on its platform. The penalty, imposed on May 21, 2026, concludes a three-year legal battle that began with a notice issued in early 2023. X Corp initially argued that the notice was sent to Twitter, which no longer existed after the merger, but the court rejected this claim. The company was also ordered to pay $100,000 in legal costs. The ruling underscores the importance of transparency and compliance with Australian regulations for international tech companies. The eSafety Commissioner emphasized that the penalty reinforces accountability for tackling harmful content online, while X Corp acknowledged the contraventions occurred during a period of corporate transition.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- X Corp (formerly Twitter) was fined $650,000 by the Federal Court of Australia for failing to comply with eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant’s notice regarding child sexual exploitation material.
- The penalty was imposed on May 21, 2026, after a legal battle lasting over three years, with the initial notice issued in February 2023.
- X Corp was ordered to pay an additional $100,000 in legal costs to the eSafety Commissioner.
- Justice Michael Wheelahan ruled that X Corp contravened the Online Safety Act between March 29, 2023, and May 5, 2023, by failing to adequately respond to the notice.
- X Corp initially argued that the notice was sent to Twitter, which no longer existed after the merger, but this claim was rejected by the court in October 2024 and upheld in July 2025.
- The eSafety Commissioner stated that meaningful transparency is critical to holding technology companies accountable for tackling child exploitation material.
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- The News Corp Australia’s Let Them Be Kids campaign exposed harm to children from social media and led to Australia becoming the first country to raise the minimum age of access to social media to 16, effective December 2025.
- The penalty was imposed after X Corp returned to the Federal Court on Thursday, May 21, 2026, for the final ruling.
- Lawyers for both parties confirmed that X Corp admitted contravening the Online Safety Act during the Federal Court hearing.
- Justice Wheelahan stated that a penalty near the maximum ($687,500) was appropriate to act as a deterrent for a substantial corporation like X Corp.
- X Corp noted that the contraventions occurred during a period of significant corporate changes due to the merger with Twitter.
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- The Guardian states the initial notice was issued in February 2023, while News Corp Australia mentions it was issued in early 2023 without specifying the exact month.
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Australian eSafety legal notice issued to US-based company for failing to provide information on how it was tackling online child abuse material Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Elon Musk’s social media network X has been fined $650,000 after admitting it failed to provide information about how it was tackling online child abuse material. The federal court penalty, handed down on Thursday, brings to an end a legal