Australia to ban under-16s from social media after passing landmark law

Australia will ban children under 16 from using social media after its senate approved what will become a world-first law.

Children will be blocked from using platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook, a move the Australian government argue is necessary to protect their mental health and wellbeing.

The online safety amendment (social media minimum age) bill will impose fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars (£26 million) on platforms for systemic failures to prevent young children from holding accounts.

It would take effect a year after the bill becomes law, allowing platforms time to work out technological solutions that would also protect users’ privacy.

The senate passed the bill 34 votes to 19. The house of representatives overwhelmingly approved the legislation 102 votes to 13 on Wednesday.

The House has yet to endorse opposition amendments made in the Senate, but that is a formality since the government has already agreed they will pass.

The platforms will have one year to work out how they could implement the ban before penalties are enforced.

Critics of the legislation have said it was rushed through parliament without adequate scrutiny. They argue the law will not work and would take away parents’ authority to decide what’s best for their children.

It may also cause isolation among children and deprive them of the positive aspects of social media, such as keeping up with their friends, critics argue.

Last month, more than 140 Australian and international academics with expertise in fields related to technology and child welfare signed an open letter to the Australian prime minister opposing a social media age limit as “too blunt an instrument to address risks effectively.”

Jackie Hallan, a director at the youth mental health service ReachOut, opposed the ban. She said 73 per cent of young people across Australia accessing mental health support did so through social media.

However, Prime minister Anthony Albanese has said there would be exclusions and exemptions in circumstances, such as a need to continue access to educational services.

Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, said the legislation was “inconsistent with what Australian parents have told us that they want, which is a simple and effective way for them to set controls and manage their teens’ online experience.”

Under the bill, parental consent for children to use social media does not override the ban.

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