Australia’s Melbourne After receiving overwhelming support from the House of Representatives, the Australian Senate on Thursday started debating a social media ban for children under the age of sixteen.
The Senate is expected to pass the world’s first bill on Thursday, the last session of Parliament for the year and possibly the last before the upcoming elections. The bill would hold platforms like TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X, and Instagram accountable for systemic failures to prevent young children from holding accounts, with fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million).
The legislation will very certainly become law because of the major parties’ support for the prohibition. However, a lot of advocates for mental health and child welfare are worried about unforeseen effects.
Not aligned Sen. Jacqui Lambie expressed dissatisfaction at the government’s “undercooked” allotment of time for the Senate to discuss the age restriction.
This seemed like a smart concept to me. Lambie told the Senate, “A lot of people thought it was a good idea until we looked at the detail and, let’s be honest, there’s no detail.”
The law was easily approved by the House of Representatives on Wednesday, 102 votes to 13.
Before sanctions are imposed, the platforms would have a year to figure out how to execute the restriction after the legislation is signed into law.
The platforms expressed dissatisfaction about the law’s impracticability and encouraged the Senate to postpone the vote until at least June of the following year, when the results of a government-commissioned assessment of age assurance technologies would be available.
Ahead of the May general elections, critics claim the government is trying to persuade parents that it is safeguarding their children. The government is hoping that by addressing parents’ concerns about their kids’ addiction to social media, voters would reward it. Some contend that the law might do more harm than good.
The law has been criticized for being ineffectual, rushing through Parliament without sufficient review, endangering the privacy of all users, and undermining the power of parents to make decisions for their children.
Additionally, the bill’s opponents contend that the prohibition will deprive children of social media’s benefits, drive them to the dark web, isolate them, deter young children from reporting damage on social media, and lessen incentives for platforms to enhance online safety.
Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!
