Australia is getting closer to banning social media for children under the age of 16 after the bill passed by the House of Commons on Wednesday, even as Alphabet’s Google and Facebook owner Meta urged the government to urge the government to postpone the legislation.
Australia’s House of Representatives voted 102 after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s left-wing Labor government won bipartisan support for the ban.
The Senate is expected to debate the bill later on Wednesday, with the government keen on ensuring it is passed by the end of the parliament on Thursday.
Albanese, who is trying to raise his recognition hierarchy ahead of the expected election in May, believes that excessive use of social media poses risks to children’s physical and mental health and is seeking support from parents.
Media media, including News Corp., have supported the ban.
Some youth advocates, including the Australian Human Rights Commission, raised concerns that the law would undermine children’s right to self-expression, but a YouGov survey released on Tuesday showed that 77% of Australians in Australia supported the ban, a survey in August 61% of the people increased the ban.
The planned laws will force social media platforms to take reasonable steps to ensure age-verified protection is achieved. The company could be fined AUD 49.5 million (USD 32 million or approximately Rs 27 billion) of full-body violations.
Australia plans to try an age verification system that may include biometric technology or government identity to enforce the ban, some of the toughest social media controls imposed by any country so far.
The Senate committee supported the bill later Tuesday, but inserted a condition that social media platforms should not force users to submit personal data, such as passports and other digital identifications to prove their age.
The Senate’s Environmental and Communications Legislative Council said in its report that social media platforms “must propose alternative ways to ensure age as a reasonable step and consider considerations for an age-assured trial.”
The Communications Minister must submit a progress report on the age-assurance trial to Parliament by 30 September 2025, which the Commission urges the government to “interact meaningfully with young people” and “meaningfully” when making the law.
“Young people, especially diverse cohorts, must be an age limit at the heart of the conversation to ensure constructive connections,” said Karen Grogan, chairman of the committee.
Google and Meta said in a separate submission to parliament that the social media ban should be delayed until the age verification trial is over. Bytedance’s Tiktok said the bill requires more consultation, while Elon Musk’s X said the proposed law could undermine the human rights of children.
Some opposition and independent lawmakers have criticized the government for trying to pass legislation within a week. The bill was introduced last Thursday, closed the bill the next day and held a brief public hearing on Monday.
©Thomson Reuters 2024
(This story has not been edited by Tech Word News’s staff and is automatically generated from the joint feed.)
