SYDNEY: Australia on Thursday passed a law imposing a social media ban for children under 16 after an emotional debate that swept the country, setting a benchmark for jurisdictions around the world with one of the toughest regulations targeting big technology companies.
The law forces tech giants, from the owners of Instagram and Facebook Meta (META), to TikTok, to block minors from logging in or face fines of up to A$49.5 million (US$32 million).
Trials of implementation methods will begin in January, and the ban will enter into force within a year.
The ‘minimum social media age’ bill sets Australia as a test case for a growing number of governments that have legislated or said they plan to legislate age restrictions on social media amid concerns about its mental health impact on young people.
Countries including France and some US states have passed laws to restrict access by minors without parental permission, but Australia’s ban is absolute.
Florida’s complete ban on under-14s is being challenged in court on free speech grounds.
The passage of the law after a marathon on the last day of the Australian parliamentary year represents a political victory for center-left Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who is running in the 2025 elections amid declining opinion polls.
The ban faced opposition from privacy advocates and some children’s rights groups, but 77% of the population wanted it, according to the latest polls.
Against the backdrop of a parliamentary inquiry that will run until 2024 and which heard evidence from parents of children who had self-harmed due to social media bullying, local media backed the ban led by Rupert Murdoch’s company. News Corpthe country’s largest newspaper publisher, with a campaign called “Let Them Be Kids.”
However, the ban could strain Australia’s relationship with the US, a key ally, with X’s owner, Elon Musk, a central figure in President-elect Donald Trump’s administration, saying in a post this month that it appeared to be a “backdoor way to control internet access”. . Internet by all Australians.”
It also depends on the mood of hostility that exists between Australia and the mostly US tech giants.
Australia was the first country to make social media platforms pay royalties to media outlets for sharing their content, and now plans to threaten them with fines for failing to stamp out scams.
Representatives for Meta, TikTok and X, which the government said would be affected by the ban, could not immediately be reached for comment.
“It’s cart before the horse,” said Sunita Bose, executive director of the Digital Industry Group, whose membership includes most social media companies.
“We have the draft law but we do not have guidance from the Australian Government on the correct methods that the full range of services subject to this law will need to employ,” Booz added. Reuters.