Australia has passed its first-ever youth social media ban, banning children under 16 from using the platform.
The Australian Senate passed the bill with bipartisan support on Thursday night. The law affects social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook, X, and Reddit, but does not apply to YouTube.
Companies are solely responsible for enforcing this restriction, and failure to do so after one year could result in fines of up to $32 million.
“We know social media is harmful to society,” said Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. statement 1 week ago. “We want Australian children to have a good childhood and we want their parents to know the government is close to their needs.”
“This is a breakthrough reform. Some kids will find workarounds, but we are sending a message to social media companies to clean up their act,” he added.
The bill was introduced in parliament last week, with only one day allowed for comments on the bill.
Supporters of the bill say it will protect children from the harmful dangers of social media and protect their mental health. It had the backing of the Albanian Australian Labor Party and was supported primarily by the opposition Liberal Party.
YouGov public opinion poll A survey released this week found 77% of Australians supported the restrictions, up from 61% in August.
Critics argued that the ban was too harsh and that lawmakers did not take into account the positive attributes of social media. The platform includes begged Delaying the passage of the bill to allow sufficient time to assess the consequences of the restrictions.
“This is a race to the bottom to see who can be the toughest, and all they end up doing is further isolating young people and giving platforms the opportunity to continue operating freely. There needs to be accountability because we don't have a social community right now,'' said Green Party senator Sarah Hanson-Young. According to On CNN.
“We need to make social media safer for everyone.”
