Australia Passes World-First Law Banning Children Under 16 From Social Media | rssama.com

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A social media prohibition for children nether 16 passed nan Australian Senate Thursday and will soon go a world-first law.

The rule will make platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram liable for fines of up to 50 cardinal Australian dollars ($33 million) for systemic failures to forestall children younger than 16 from holding accounts.

The Senate passed nan measure 34 votes to 19. The House of Representatives connected Wednesday overwhelmingly approved nan authorities by 102 votes to 13.

The House has yet to endorse guidance amendments made successful nan Senate. But that is simply a formality since nan authorities has already agreed they will pass.

The platforms will person 1 twelvemonth to activity retired really they could instrumentality nan prohibition earlier penalties are enforced.

Meta Platforms, which owns Facebook and Instagram, said nan authorities had been “rushed.”

The amendments bolster privateness protections. Platforms would not beryllium allowed to compel users to supply government-issued personality documents including passports aliases driver’s licenses, nor could they request integer recognition done a authorities system.

The House is scheduled to walk nan amendments connected Friday. Critics of nan authorities fearfulness that banning young children from societal media will effect nan privateness of users who must found they are older than 16.

While nan awesome parties support nan ban, galore kid use and intelligence wellness advocates are concerned astir unintended consequences.

Sen. David Shoebridge, from nan number Greens party, said intelligence wellness experts agreed that nan prohibition could dangerously isolate galore children who utilized societal media to find support.

“This argumentation will wounded susceptible young group nan most, particularly successful location communities and particularly nan LGBTQI community, by cutting them off,” Shoebridge told nan Senate.

Opposition Sen. Maria Kovacic said nan measure was not extremist but necessary. “The halfway attraction of this authorities is simple: It demands that societal media companies return reasonable steps to place and region underage users from their platforms,” Kovacic told nan Senate.

“This is simply a work these companies should person been fulfilling agelong ago, but for excessively agelong they person shirked these responsibilities successful favour of profit,” she added.

Online information campaigner Sonya Ryan, whose 15-year-old girl Carly was murdered by a 50-year-old pedophile who pretended to beryllium a teen online, described nan Senate ballot arsenic a “monumental infinitesimal successful protecting our children from horrendous harms online.”

“It’s excessively precocious for my daughter, Carly, and nan galore different children who person suffered terribly and those who person mislaid their lives successful Australia, but fto america guidelines together connected their behalf and clasp this together,” she told nan AP successful an email.

Wayne Holdsworth, whose teenage boy Mac took his ain life aft falling unfortunate to an online sextortion scam, had advocated for nan property regularisation and took pridefulness successful its passage.

“I person ever been a proud Australian, but for maine consequent to today’s Senate decision, I americium bursting pinch pride,” Holdsworth told nan AP successful an email.

Christopher Stone, executive head of Suicide Prevention Australia, nan governing assemblage for nan termination prevention sector, said nan authorities grounded to see affirmative aspects of societal media successful supporting young people’s intelligence wellness and consciousness of connection.

“The authorities is moving blindfolded into a ceramic wall by rushing this legislation. Young Australians merit evidence-based policies, not decisions made successful haste,” Stone said successful a statement.

The platforms had complained that nan rule would beryllium unworkable and had urged nan Senate to hold nan ballot until astatine slightest June 2025 erstwhile a government-commissioned information of property assurance technologies will study connected really young children could beryllium excluded.

“Naturally, we respect nan laws decided by nan Australian Parliament,” Facebook and Instagram proprietor Meta Platforms said successful a statement. “However, we are concerned astir nan process which rushed nan authorities done while failing to decently see nan evidence, what manufacture already does to guarantee age-appropriate experiences, and nan voices of young people.”

Critics reason nan authorities is attempting to person parents it is protecting their children up of a wide predetermination owed by May. The authorities hopes that voters will reward it for responding to parents’ concerns astir their children’s addiction to societal media. Some reason nan authorities could origin much harm than it prevents.

Criticisms see that nan authorities was rushed done Parliament without capable scrutiny, is ineffective, poses privateness risks for each users, and undermines nan authority of parents to make decisions for their children.

Opponents besides reason nan prohibition would isolate children, deprive them of nan affirmative aspects of societal media, thrust them to nan acheronian web, discourage children excessively young for societal media to study harm, and trim incentives for platforms to amended online safety.

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AP Business Writer Kelvin Chan successful London contributed to this report.

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