On Monday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that social media companies must delete users’ data once their ages are verified. This move is part of a plan to introduce strict regulations, including a world-leading prohibition of social media use by individuals under 16.
Australia is set to test an age-verification system that could employ biometrics or government identification to implement one of the world’s strictest social media age restrictions.
Australia’s communications minister Michelle Rowland introduced a world-first law into Parliament on Thursday that would ban children younger than 16 from social media, saying online safety was one of parents’ toughest challenges. pic.twitter.com/K0zui1wHLv
— The Associated Press (@AP) November 21, 2024Albanese emphasized the importance of privacy during a parliament session, stating, “There will be very strong and strict privacy requirements to protect people’s personal information, including an obligation to destroy information provided once age has been verified.”
The new regulations will affect major platforms such as Meta Platforms’ Instagram and Facebook, Bytedance’s TikTok, Elon Musk’s X, and Snapchat.
Criticism of the proposals has surfaced, notably from figures like Musk, who argued that the legislation represents an indirect method to regulate internet access for all Australians.
The laws, described as the most stringent age restriction globally, do not allow parental consent or pre-existing account exemptions. Platforms that do not comply risk fines up to $32 million.
The Australian government plans to expedite the bill, aiming to enact it by the end of the parliamentary year this Thursday, swiftly passing it through the upper and lower houses.
