Social Media Companies Decry Australia’s Ban on Children Under 16 Using Facebook, TikTok, Other Apps

The Social Media industry has spoken out against a new national policy passed into law by the Australian Parliament that bans children under 16 from using apps like Facebook, X and TikTok.Australia is the first country to ban young children from having social media accounts, with the platforms facing up to millions in fines if they don’t help enforce the new policy. The Tech sector is already taking issue with the law, including officials from Meta Platforms, which operate Facebook and Instagram, saying the measure was “rushed” through the approval process.“Naturally, we respect the laws decided by the Australian Parliament,” Meta Platforms said in a statement to the Associated Press. “However, we are concerned about the process which rushed the legislation through while failing to properly consider the evidence, what industry already does to ensure age-appropriate experiences, and the voices of young people.”Snapchat announced that they would cooperate the Australian government’s regulator, the eSafety Commissioner, but were concerned by the law.“While there are many unanswered questions about how this law will be implemented in practice, we will engage closely with the Government and the eSafety Commissioner during the 12-month implementation period to help develop an approach that balances privacy, safety and practicality. As always, Snap will comply with any applicable laws and regulations in Australia,” Snapchat said in a statement to the news wire service.The law, which bans any child under 16 from having any presence on social media, was passed by the Australian Parliament’s Senate on Thursday after it had been overwhelmingly approved by its House of Representatives a day earlier on a 102-13 vote, according to the Associated Press.The new policy will also make platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Reddit, and X liable for fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars, or $33 million, if they fail to prevent underage users.“Platforms now have a social responsibility to ensure the safety of our kids is a priority for them,” Australia’s prime minister, Anthony Albanese, told reporters after the bill was passed into law.Social media platforms would not be allowed to force users to provide government-issued IDs like passports or driver’s licenses, nor will they be able to demand digital identifications through a government system.The platforms would have a year to devise how to implement the ban on young users before fines are doled out.“The social media ban legislation has been released and passed within a week and, as a result, no one can confidently explain how it will work in practice – the community and platforms are in the dark about what exactly is required of them,” the managing director for Digital Industry Group, an advocacy group in Australia for the platforms, Sunita Bose, said to the Associated Press.While the new policy is the first nationwide ban, lawmakers in Washington have been working on a bipartisan bill this year that aims to protect American children from what they say are the harmful effects associated with social media use.Introduced by U.S. senator for Texas, Ted Cruz, and Senator Schatz, a Hawaii Democrat, “The Kids Off Social Media Act” aims to prohibit children under 13 from creating and maintaining social media accounts. If passed, the bill would also prevent social media companies from using algorithms to push targeted content to minors under 17 years of age and require schools to block and filter out social media access on federally funded devices.Many state governments have also put in place or are in the process of developing social media restrictions for children.Florida passed a law in March that bans social media usage for children under 14 and mandates parental consent for those aged 14 and 15.Arkansas and Utah have enacted laws requiring social media platforms to use age verification and parental consent while including provisions blocking minors from sharing content. The regulations also restrict the collection of young users’ data. Other states, including Vermont, New Mexico, Maryland, and Minnesota, have been working on new legislation for their own bans.

Social Media Companies Decry Australia’s Ban on Children Under 16 Using Facebook, TikTok, Other Apps

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