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If passed, any platforms that breach the bill could face fines of up to A$49.5m.
“We know social media is doing harm” – that’s according to the prime minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese MP.
He made the comments today (21 November) while speaking about a proposed bill which would see children under 16 years of age being banned from accessing social media.
As part of the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024, the government aims to introduce stronger penalties for online safety breaches, and any offending digital platforms could risk being fined up to A$49.5m.
The government said that the bill will require social media platforms “to take reasonable steps” to prevent under-16s from having accounts.
Specifically, Michelle Rowland MP, the country’s minister for communications, said that sites and applications such as TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram were among the platforms that could face repercussions for any breaches to this bill.
The government also clarified that the bill and its associated rules will ensure that young Australians have continued access to messaging and online gaming, as well as access to services which are health and education-related, such as Headspace, Kids Helpline, Google Classroom and YouTube.
Rowland also said that social media platforms have “a responsibility to provide safe products and look after the mental health of young Australians”.
Australia’s mission to ban underaged users from social media is in line with global instances of governments taking action against social media platforms in the name of children’s wellbeing. Earlier this year, it was announced that New York City had filed a major lawsuit against several social media companies to hold them accountable for their alleged “damaging influence” on the mental health of children.
The companies listed as defendants in the lawsuit are Meta, Tiktok-owner Bytedance, Snap, Google and YouTube, while plaintiffs were listed as New York City’s school district and its health and hospitals corporation.
And just last month, both the US and UK governments issued a joint statement announcing a children’s online safety working group aimed at making the internet safer for minors, while also advocating for increased transparency from online platforms.
Albanese lauded his country’s proposed bill, adding: “We want Australian children to have a childhood, and we want parents to know the government is in their corner.
“We know some kids will find workarounds, but we’re sending a message to social media companies to clean up their act.”
However, the decision has faced criticism from X owner Elon Musk, who said in a post on the platform: “Seems like a backdoor way to control access to the internet by all Australians.”
Musk, who is the world’s richest man, previously criticised the Australian government back in September over its proposed misinformation law, referring to the government as “fascists”.
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