Controversial social media ban passes Lower House
The government’s controversial bill banning social media for under-16s has passed the House of Representatives, making the decision to make it more difficult. law in the hands of the Senate.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the social media ban on November 7, announcing that signing up for platforms like X, Facebook and Instagram would require users to be over 16 years old.
The government has pushed for the legislation, which will be the first of its kind in the world, to be passed by the end of the year, despite criticism that it is rushed, unenforceable and full of flaws.
Today, the bill was successfully passed by the Lower House.
If the bill passes the Senate and becomes law, it would be up to social media platforms to enforce the age limit. Under-16s who use social media will not be punished, but social media platforms will be subject to fines.
The government had initially said registrations for social media platforms would be monitored through age verification software it intended to test, which would use biometric data and government IDs. However, this has raised immediate privacy concerns regarding the collection and use of data by social media platforms.
Yesterday (November 26), Communications Minister Michelle Rowland announced amendments to the bill that would prevent social media platforms from requiring users to provide government-issued identification, such as driving licenses and passports, as well as applying for a digital ID through the government.
Coalition MP Dan Tehan announced in Parliament that the government had accepted the amendments in the Senate.
“Will it be perfect? No. But is a law perfect? No, that’s not the case. But if it helps, even if it helps in a small way, it will make a huge difference in people’s lives,” he said.
If the legislation passes, social media platforms will have 12 months to implement the restrictions before they are enforced.
