The Australian Senate has passed a bill banning children under the age of 16 from having social media.
The “Online Safety Amendment Bill 2024” passed 34-19. When the law takes effect, age verifications will be implemented for most social media platforms. YouTube and educational apps can still be accessed by those younger than 16.
Platforms will be funded up to $33 million if they fail to prevent younger audiences from creating accounts.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said after the bill’s passage, “Social media is doing harm to our children. Platforms now have a social responsibility to ensure the safety of our kids is a priority for them.”
When the bill was introduced, Elon Musk called it a “backdoor way to control access to the Internet by all Australians.”
Journalist Michael Shellenberger raised concerns that the bill will ultimately lead to “digital IDs, which is a giant leap into the totalitarian dystopia depicted in ‘Black Mirror,’ and already in place in China.”
