Australia’s House of Representatives has just passed a bill aimed at banning children under the age of 16 from using social media platforms.
This legislation is now set to go to the Senate for final approval, potentially making Australia the first country to implement such a law.
The bill received strong support from both major parties, passing with 102 votes in favour and only 13 against. If it becomes law, platforms like TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X, and Instagram could face hefty fines of up to $50 million for failing to prevent young children from creating accounts.
When Prime Minister Anthony Albanese introduced the legislation proposal officially on November 7, he didn’t mince words: “Social media is causing harm to our kids and I’m calling time on it.
“I want parents to be able to say, ‘Sorry, mate, it’s against the law’.”
Under the proposed legislation, social media companies will have one year to establish age restrictions before penalties are enforced.
Another key aspect of the bill is that it now includes privacy protections. This means that platforms won’t be able to demand government-issued identification, like passports or driver’s licences, from users trying to verify their age.
According to abcNEWS, Communications Minister Michelle Rowland stated that the Senate would debate the bill later today.
The bill has faced criticism from lawmakers outside the major parties, arguing that the legislation has been rushed and may not be effective in addressing online harms. Independent lawmaker Zoe Daniel expressed concerns that the ban would “make zero difference to the harms that are inherent to social media,” per abcNEWS, suggesting it might simply give parents a false sense of security.
Opposition MP Dan Tehan weighed in on the bill’s potential impact and said, “Will it be perfect? No. But is any law perfect? No, it’s not. But if it helps, even if it helps in just the smallest of ways, it will make a huge difference to people’s lives,” per Sydney Morning Herald.
Now we’ll just have to wait and see what the Senate says. We’ll be sure to keep you updated.
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