Google and Facebook-owner Meta Platforms have appealed to the Australian government to postpone legislation banning social media access for children under 16, arguing that additional time is necessary to evaluate the potential consequences.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s agenda includes establishing stringent controls on children’s use of social media. His government intends to enact the legislation by this Thursday’s end of the parliamentary year.
Introduced in Parliament last week, the bill was open for public comment for only one day, prompting concerns about inadequate review time. Google and Meta recommended that the government examine the results of an ongoing age-verification trial.
This is the moment the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) CONFIRMS that of 12 organisations consulted that NOT ONE was consulted about a blunt ban for under 16s from Social Media.
Welcome to Communist Australia where laws are made up on the go around. pic.twitter.com/mrV59F9ynd
— Mickamious (@MickamiousG) November 25, 2024The age-verification system under consideration may require using biometrics or government IDs to enforce age restrictions on social media use. Meta highlighted the lack of trial results, which means “neither industry nor Australians will understand the nature or scale of age assurance required by the bill, nor the impact of such measures.”
Meta criticized the bill as “inconsistent and ineffective” in its current form. The legislation mandates that social media platforms, rather than parents or children, implement age-verification measures. Failing to comply could result in fines up to A$49.5 million ($32 million) for systemic violations.
WATCH: Youth mental health groups are warning of unintended harms if young people are banned from social media, because it can often help connect people to the mental health support they need.
Read more – https://t.co/NxWcvIC4O9 pic.twitter.com/fv6dQfVTFQ
— Free Speech Union of Australia (@FSUofAustralia) November 25, 2024While the opposition Liberal party is expected to back the bill, some independent lawmakers have criticized the government for hastening the legislative process in approximately one week.
A Senate committee focused on communications legislation is set to release a report on the matter today.
Read: Australia to Enforce Social Media Age Verification Law
Bytedance, the parent company of TikTok, expressed “significant concerns” regarding the bill’s lack of clarity and the government’s haste in passing it without comprehensive consultations with stakeholders, including experts, social media companies, mental health organizations, and youths.
The Libertarian Party has hit the Liberals with an ultimatum, as concern emerges within the Coalition about a social media ban for under-16s 📲
Watch: https://t.co/QTsC2t3Auw pic.twitter.com/jELpzFvvwq
— 6 News Australia (@6NewsAU) November 25, 2024TikTok stressed the importance of drafting legislation carefully to ensure it meets its intended goals, noting that this bill falls short of such standards.
Elon Musk’s social media platform X also voiced apprehensions that the bill could infringe on the human rights of young individuals, impacting their freedom of expression and access to information. Musk, who advocates for free speech, recently criticized the Australian government for what he perceives as an indirect method of internet censorship.
