Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declared Friday that social media companies have a social responsibility to protect children after parliament passed laws banning under-16s from using their platforms.
Albanese told reporters in Canberra that the world-first laws banning anyone under the age of 16 from accessing social media will ensure the safety of young Australians, Xinhua news agency reported.
“Platforms now have a social responsibility to ensure the safety of our kids is a priority for them,” he said.
The Senate late on Thursday night voted in favour of the government’s legislation.
The legislation passed through the lower house of parliament, the House of Representatives, for the second time in a procedural session on Friday morning, paving the way for the laws to come into effect in 12 months.
The government has not specified how the new laws will be enforced. Under the legislation, social media companies that fail to take reasonable steps to prevent under-16s from using their platforms will face fines worth up to 50 million Australian dollars ($32.5 million).
“We don’t argue that its implementation will be perfect, just like the alcohol ban for under 18s doesn’t mean that someone under 18 never has access, but we know that it’s the right thing to do,” Albanese said on Friday.
Responding to the passage of the ban, Meta — the parent company of Facebook and Instagram — said it was concerned about the speed at which it progressed through parliament.
“We are concerned about the process which rushed the legislation through while failing to properly consider the evidence, what industry already does to ensure age-appropriate experiences, and the voices of young people,” a spokesperson for the company said in a statement.
A government-funded trial of age verification technologies is expected to inform how the age limit is enforced.
