A social media ban for children under 16 passed the Australian Senate on Thursday and is set to become a world-first law.The legislation will make platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X, and Instagram liable for fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars (£26 million) if they fail to prevent children under 16 from creating accounts.The Senate passed the Bill with 34 votes in favour and 19 against. On Wednesday, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the legislation by 102 votes to 13.
While the House has yet to endorse amendments made in the Senate, this is expected to be a formality, as the government has already agreed to pass them.Platforms will have one year to figure out how to implement the ban before penalties are enforced.The amendments strengthen privacy protections. Platforms will not be allowed to require users to provide government-issued identification, such as passports or driver’s licences, nor can they demand digital identification via government systems.
The House is scheduled to pass the amendments on Friday. Critics of the law fear that banning children under 16 from social media may negatively impact the privacy of users who must prove they are older than 16.While the major parties support the ban, many child welfare and mental health advocates are concerned about unintended consequences.Senator David Shoebridge from the minority Greens party said mental health experts agreed the ban could dangerously isolate many children who use social media for support.
“This policy will hurt vulnerable young people the most, especially in regional communities and especially the LGBTQI community, by cutting them off,” Shoebridge told the Senate.Opposition Senator Maria Kovacic argued that the Bill was not radical but necessary.“The core focus of this legislation is simple: It demands that social media companies take reasonable steps to identify and remove underage users from their platforms,” Kovacic said. “This is a responsibility these companies should have been fulfilling long ago, but for too long they have shirked these responsibilities in favour of profit,” the Opposition Senator added.
Critics argue the government is using the policy to convince parents that it is protecting their children ahead of the general election due by May. The government hopes voters will reward it for responding to concerns about children’s addiction to social media. However, some believe the legislation may cause more harm than good.Opponents argue the legislation was rushed through Parliament without adequate scrutiny, is ineffective, poses privacy risks for all users, and undermines parents’ authority to make decisions for their children.Others contend the ban will isolate children, depriving them of the positive aspects of social media, driving them to the dark web, discouraging children too young for social media from reporting harm, and reducing platforms’ incentives to improve online safety.
(With Inputs from Associated Press)