Child victims of cyber-bullying will be able to compel Facebook and Twitter to take down harmful material under draft laws before parliament.
The government wants to create a new children's e-safety commissioner to handle complaints and crack down on cyber-bullying material targeted at Australian kids.
Under draft laws introduced to parliament on Wednesday, big social media companies with a local presence will be obliged to take down offensive material within 48-hours of a complaint being lodged.
Those that repeatedly fail to comply will be subject to legally-binding notices and face civil penalties.
They could also be on a recurring name-and-shame list published by the commissioner.
Kids who bully others online will get a formal warning from the commissioner requesting them to remove harmful posts, refrain from further cyber-bullying, or apologise.
If they fail to respond, they could face a court injunction or have the matter referred to police.
However, they will not be penalised, because the government says it is wary of fining children.
Susan McLean from Cyber Safety Solutions has welcomed the move.
"People write and post things online that they would never ever contemplate doing in the real world. There is an absolute new level of meaness when it comes to technology. We need to make cyber bullying unacceptable through all levels of society."
The commissioner will also promote online safety and approve cyber-safety educational programs for schools, for which the government is pumping $7.5 million on a purchasing program.
Debate on the Enhancing Online Safety For Children Bill 2014 was adjourned.
THE LEGAL DEFINITION OF CYBER BULLYING
* Material likely to seriously threaten, intimidate, harass or humiliate an Australian child.
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