Australia draws the line: New bill bans social media for children under 16

Australian parliament passes strict new rules: Social media platforms will face fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars if they fail to prevent children under 16 from holding accounts

The Australian parliament has banned the use of social media for children under the age of 16. It passed a bill on Wednesday that was supported by the majority of its House of Representatives with 102 votes in favour to 13 against. 

 

Major parties supported the bill that would make social media platforms, including Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, and X, liable for fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars if they failed to prevent children under 16 from holding accounts. 

 

Furthermore, after the implementation of the bill, the social media companies would have time for a year to execute the age restrictions before facing penalties. 

 

Opposition lawmaker Dan Tehan informed the Parliament that the government had agreed to introduce amendments in the Senate to strengthen privacy protections. Under these changes, platforms would be prohibited from requiring users to provide government-issued identification, such as passports or driver’s licenses. Additionally, they would not be permitted to mandate digital identification via a government system.

 

“Will it be perfect? No. But is any law perfect? No. However, if it helps, even in the smallest way, it can make a significant difference in people’s lives,” Tehan told the Parliament.  Communications Minister Michelle Rowland added that the Senate would take up the bill for debate later on Wednesday. The backing of major parties virtually ensures the legislation will pass in the Senate, where no single party holds a majority.

 

During debates on Tuesday and Wednesday, independent lawmakers — those not aligned with either the government or the opposition — were the most vocal critics of the legislation. They expressed concern that the legislation was rushed through Parliament without sufficient scrutiny. They warned that the legislation could prove ineffective, jeopardise user privacy across age groups, and encroach on parents’ authority to decide for their children’s well-being.

 

Critics in Australia also warned that the ban could isolate children, deny them the positive aspects of social media, lure them to the dark web, discourage young users from reporting online harms, and remove incentives for platforms to create safer online environments.

 

Independent lawmaker Zoe Daniel criticised the legislation stating it would “make zero difference to the harms inherent to social media”. Speaking on the floor of the Parliament, Daniel said, “The true purpose of this legislation isn’t to make social media safe by design but to create the illusion for parents and voters that the government is taking action.”

 

She said, “The government calls this legislation world-leading for a reason — because no other country is willing to adopt it.”

 

The platforms requested that the vote on the legislation be postponed until at least June next year, when a government-commissioned evaluation of age assurance technologies would release its report on how the ban could be enforced.