The law will come into force in 12 months.
Late into the night on Nov. 28, the Australian Senate passed a “world first” law that bans under 16 year old children from accessing social media.
The new law, once in affect, means young Australians will be barred from accessing platforms like TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Reddit, and X—age verification technology will be implemented by the Big Tech firms to ensure compliance.
Certain social media programs will be allowed, including YouTube and educational apps.
The centre-left Labor government achieved passage of the Bill with support from the centre-right Liberal-National Coalition amid a blitz of Bills on the last sitting day of Parliament in 2024.
The ban passed the lower house a day earlier.
Keeping Phones From Kids Unrealistic: Senator
Liberal Senator Dave Sharma speaking in the Senate on Nov. 28, argued that parents need assistance managing social media for children.
“I think parents need help with this, and this is why I think there is a case for government intervention,” he said.
“Partly because parents have to grapple with the ubiquity of phones and electronic devices, and the crude measure that some suggest—which is take away your kid’s phone, or give them a non-smart phone without adding any apps—I don’t think is particularly realistic,” Sharma said.
“I think in today’s era we expect our children to be able to be contacted and be contactable, and this is especially true in situations in many households today where both parents are working, and they are often not home when the children might be home or coming home from school.”
Sharma added he did not discount that there were some benefits to children using social media, providing a way for them to stay in touch and stay connected.
“We all saw this during the COVID pandemic, when our children weren’t going to school and they stayed in touch through messaging platforms, through social media platforms, and it allows them to build and maintain a social circle,” he said.
“I also appreciate that the people who are isolated geographically or socially or otherwise, it provides them a way to build a community which might not be available to them in the real world.
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