Australia’s SydneyMeta Platforms, the company that owns Google and Facebook, encouraged the Australian government on Tuesday to postpone a measure that would prohibit children under 16 from using most forms of social media, stating that more time is required to evaluate the potential effects of the policy.
By the end of the parliamentary year on Thursday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left government hopes to enact the bill, which would include some of the strictest restrictions on children’s use of social media that any nation has ever imposed.
Last Monday, the bill was introduced in Parliament and was only available for one day for public comment.
In their arguments, Google and Meta stated that the government should hold off on taking action until the outcome of the age-verification trial.
To implement a social media age cut-off, the age-verification method can use official identity or biometrics.
Without these outcomes, neither the industry nor the Australian public would comprehend the type or scope of age assurance mandated by the bill, nor the effects of such policies on the country’s citizens, according to Meta.
The law is ineffectual and inconsistent in its current form.
Social media companies, not parents or kids, would be required by law to take reasonable measures to guarantee age-verification safeguards are in place. Systemic violations could result in fines for businesses of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars ($32 million).
Although several independent legislators have charged that the administration is hurrying through the entire process in just a week, the opposition Liberal party is anticipated to endorse the bill.
On Tuesday, a Senate committee that oversees communications legislation was supposed to present its findings.
According to ByteDance’s TikTok, the government’s plan to adopt the measure without thorough engagement with experts, social media platforms, mental health organizations, and young people raised serious concerns about the bill’s lack of clarity.
When a new policy is proposed, it is crucial that legislation be carefully and thoughtfully prepared to make sure it can accomplish its intended goals. According to TikTok, this hasn’t been the case with this Bill.
Elon Musk expressed worries that the bill would have a detrimental impact on children’s and youths’ human rights, such as their freedom of speech and information access.
The American billionaire, who sees himself as an advocate for free expression, criticized the Australian government last week, claiming that the measure appeared to be a backdoor attempt to restrict internet access.
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