Australia’s Melbourne A plan that would prohibit children under 16 from using social media was approved by Australia’s House of Representatives on Wednesday; the Senate will now have to complete the world-first legislation.
The law, supported by the major parties, would impose fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Reddit, TikTok, and X for failing to prevent young children from creating accounts.
With 102 votes in favor and 13 against, the legislation was approved. The platforms would have a year to figure out how to apply the age restrictions before the penalties are imposed if the bill is signed into law this week.
Dan Tehan, an opposition MP, informed Parliament that the administration has consented to Senate measures that would strengthen privacy rights. Platforms would be prohibited from requiring users to present official identification documents, such as driver’s licenses or passports. Additionally, the platforms were unable to use a government system to require digital identification.
Will it be flawless? No. However, is there a law that is flawless? No, it isn’t. However, Tehan assured Parliament that it will have a significant impact on people’s lives even if it only helps in the slightest ways.
The Senate will discuss the bill later Wednesday, according to Communications Minister Michelle Rowland. Since no party has a majority of seats in the Senate, the major parties’ backing virtually ensures that the law will succeed.
During Tuesday and Wednesday’s debate, lawmakers who were not affiliated with the opposition or the administration were the most critical of the bill.
Among the criticisms are that the law was hurried through Parliament without sufficient review, that it would not function, that it would jeopardize the privacy of users of all ages, and that it would deprive parents of the power to determine what is best for their children.
Children who are too young for social media would be unwilling to report harms they experience, be isolated, lose access to the beneficial features of social media, be drawn to the dark web, and have their incentives to make online places safer taken away, according to critics.
Zoe Daniel, an independent lawmaker, claimed that the measure will have little effect on the negative effects of social media.
Daniel reminded Parliament that the real goal of this legislation is to give parents and voters the impression that the government is taking action, not to make social media secure by design. She said that the administration is promoting this legislation as world-leading for a reason: no other nation wants to follow suit.
When a government-commissioned assessment of age assurance technologies released its report on how the prohibition may be implemented, the platforms requested that the legislation vote be postponed until at least June of the following year.
The bill is vital for our children’s safety, according to Wayne Holdsworth, a resident of Melbourne whose 17-year-old son Mac committed suicide last year after being a victim of an online sextortion scheme.
“It’s a great step to provide some immediate support for our children and parents to be able to manage this,” the 65-year-old online safety advocate told The Associated Press on Tuesday, adding that education is the key to protecting them.
Regarding the impending legal reform, he continued, “And in my opinion, it’s the greatest time in our country’s history.”
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