Australia’s Lower House Approves Landmark Social Media Ban for Under-16s

The Australian lower house voted 103 to 13 on Wednesday in favor of the legislation, which would impose fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($32 million) on platforms failing to comply.

The bill will now move to the Senate, where it is expected to pass with bipartisan support.

Opposition lawmaker Dan Tehan confirmed that Senate amendments to bolster privacy protections, including prohibiting platforms from demanding government-issued identification, have been accepted.

Social media companies will have a year to implement compliance measures if the bill becomes law.

Tech giants, including Meta, have urged the government to delay the legislation until June 2025, citing the pending release of a study on age-verification technology.

“In the absence of such results, neither industry nor Australians will understand the nature or scale of age assurance required by the bill,” Meta said in a statement, calling the current draft “inconsistent and ineffective.”

Proponents argue the ban is necessary to combat the negative impacts of social media on young users.

Critics, however, contend the law overlooks broader social media issues while infringing on rights.

“The true object of this legislation is not to make social media safe by design, but to make parents and voters feel like the government is doing something about it,” said Independent lawmaker Zoe Daniel.

Rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay, have voiced concerns, warning that vulnerable children could lose access to a vital social safety net.

Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind also expressed doubts, writing on LinkedIn that a ban might be excessive.

“We should not be too quick to accept that social media is so bad that it needs to be banned for the most vulnerable,” she said.

The legislation, if ratified, would place Australia among the most restrictive nations globally on social media use for minors.