Children and teenagers under 16 to be banned from social media after parliament passes world-first laws | ABC News | Maani Truu:
November 28, 2024 - "Children and teenagers under the age of 16 will be banned from social media after the government's world-first laws passed parliament late on the final sitting week of the year.... Children and teenagers will be banned from using social media from the end of next year.... That means anyone under the age of 16 will be blocked from using platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook, a move the government and the Coalition argue is necessary to protect their mental health and wellbeing.
"The late vote capped off a frantic evening in the Senate, where the government managed to ram through most of its legislative agenda on the final full sitting day of the year. Coalition senators Matt Canavan and Alex Antic crossed the floor to vote with the entire crossbench against the laws, which received mixed reviews from mental health experts during a snap Senate inquiry this week. Liberal Richard Colbeck abstained.... Liberal MP Bridget Archer also broke with her party earlier in the week to vote with the Greens and a handful of independents against the bill in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
"The major parties had moved quickly to pass the legislation before the end of the parliamentary year, despite reservations from some Coalition MPs, the Greens and independents who called for more time and greater scrutiny.
"Under the laws, which won't come into force for another 12 months, social media companies could be fined up to $50 million for failing to take 'reasonable steps' to keep under 16s off their platforms. There are no penalties for young people or parents who flout the rules. Social media companies also won't be able to force users to provide government identification, including the Digital ID, to assess their age.
"'Messaging apps,' 'online gaming services' and 'services with the primary purpose of supporting the health and education of end-users' will not fall under the ban, as well as sites like YouTube that do not require users to log in to access the platform.
"The bill was introduced to parliament last Thursday and was referred for a Senate inquiry the same day. Submissions to the inquiry closed on Friday, a three-hour hearing was held on Monday, and the report was tabled on Tuesday. Almost all the submissions raised concerns about the "extremely short" consultation period, the committee report noted."
Read more: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-11-28/social-media-age-ban-passes-parliament/104647138
Australia Bans Social Media for Anyone Under 16 | Bloomberg Technology | November 29, 2024:
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