Australia's House of Representatives passed a landmark bill on Wednesday that would ban children under the age of 16 from using social media. Now moves to the Senate for final approval. If enacted, the law would hold platforms like TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X, and Instagram accountable, imposing fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars (US$33 million) for failing to prevent young children from creating accounts.
The legislation was passed with 102 votes in favor and 13 against. If the bill is enacted this week, social media platforms will have one year to develop a plan for enforcing age restrictions before penalties are imposed.
Opposition lawmaker Dan Tehan informed Parliament that the government had agreed to accept amendments in the Senate aimed at strengthening privacy protections. Under the amendments, platforms would be prohibited from requiring users to submit government-issued identity documents, such as passports or driver's licenses. Additionally, platforms would not be allowed to mandate digital identification through government systems.
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"Will it be perfect? No. But is any law perfect? No, it's not. But if it helps, even if it helps in just the smallest of ways, it will make a huge difference to people's lives," Tehan told Parliament. Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said the Senate would debate the bill later Wednesday.
Critics of the bill argue that the ban could isolate children, depriving them of the positive aspects of social media. They warn that it may push children towards the dark web, discourage younger users from reporting online harms, and remove incentives for platforms to create safer online spaces.