Australia moves closer to banning children’s social media after heated debate Reuters
Hosted by Renju Jose
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia on Wednesday moved closer to banning social media for children under 16 after the lower house of parliament passed the law as Google’s Alphabet (NASDAQ: ) and Facebook owner Meta (NASDAQ: ) pressured the government that he should delay. the law.
Australia’s House of Representatives passed the bill by 102 votes to 13 after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s centre-left Labor government won bipartisan support for the ban.
The Senate is expected to discuss the bill later on Wednesday, and the government is determined to ensure that it is passed by the end of the parliamentary year on Thursday.
Albanese, trying to boost his approval ratings ahead of elections expected in May, has argued that excessive use of social media is putting children’s physical and mental health at risk and is seeking support from parents.
Media outlets, including News Corp (NASDAQ:), supported the ban.
Some youth advocates including the Australian Human Rights Commission have expressed concern that the law will harm children’s rights to express themselves, but a YouGov poll released on Tuesday showed 77% of Australians supported the ban, up from 61% in an August survey.
The proposed legislation would force social networks to take reasonable steps to ensure that age verification protections are in place. Companies can be fined up to A$49.5 million ($32 million) for breaching the law.
Australia plans to test an age verification system that could include biometrics or government identification to enforce the ban, some of the strictest social media controls imposed by any country to date.
A Senate committee late Tuesday supported the bill but included a condition that social networks should not force users to submit personal information such as passports and other digital identifiers to prove their age.
In its report, the Senate Judiciary Committee on Environment and Communications said social media “must establish other age verification methods as reasonable measures in light of the age verification case.”
A progress report on the age verification trial must be submitted by the communications minister to parliament by September 30, 2025, the committee said as it urged the government to “engage meaningfully” with young people when formulating the law.
“Young people, especially from different groups, need to be included in the discussion as age limits are used to ensure that there are constructive channels of communication,” said Committee Chair Senator Karen Grogan.
In separate presentations to parliament, Google and Meta said the ban on the social media platform should be delayed until the end of a year-long validation trial. TikTok’s Bytedance said the bill needed more consultation, while Elon Musk X said the proposed law could harm children’s rights.
Some opposition and independent lawyers criticized the government for trying to pass the law in less than a week. The bill was introduced last Thursday, its presentations were closed the next day, and a short public hearing was held on Monday.
($1 = 1.5451 Australian dollars)
