Under-16s Off Social Media: Australian Parliament Passes Landmark Law

Australian lawmakers have passed a landmark legislation to ban children under 16 years of age from using social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and X.

The legislation, passed on Thursday (28 November), is being considered one of the strictest measures globally.

The bill received bipartisan backing and cleared both parliamentary chambers.

It mandates social media companies to implement "reasonable steps" to block young teens from creating accounts.

Companies that fail to comply with the rules could face fines upto 50 million Australian dollars ($32.5 million).

However, social media firms have criticised the legislation, calling it "vague," "problematic," and "rushed."

The legislation, which cleared the lower house on Wednesday and the Senate late Thursday, is now almost guaranteed to become law.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, a centre-left leader eyeing polls next year, has fervently supported the new rules, urging Australian parents to endorse the initiative.

Before the vote, Albanese criticised social media, describing it as "a platform for peer pressure, a driver of anxiety, a vehicle for scammers and, worst of all, a tool for online predators."

He advocated for young Australians to spend less time on their phones and more time "on the footy and cricket field, the tennis and netball courts, in the swimming pool."

The ban, on paper, is regarded as one of the world's strictest measures on paper.

However, experts have raised concerns about the lack of enforcement details in the current legislation, fearing it may remain symbolic and unenforceable.

Regulators are expected to finalise the implementation details within 12 months, after which the ban will come into effect.

Some companies will likely be granted exemptions, such as WhatsApp and YouTube, which teenagers may need to use for recreation, school work or other reasons.

Amendments were added to the legislation to prohibit the use of government-issued digital IDs for age verification purposes.

The legislation is likely to draw global attention, as other nations consider adopting similar restrictions.

Similar proposals to restrict social media for young teens have emerged in regions from Spain to state of Florida in US, but none have been enacted so far.

In China, minors have faced social media restrictions since 2021, with under-14s limited to 40 minutes per day on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok.

Additionally, China imposes limits on children's online gaming time.

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