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Senate passes laws to ban social media for children under 16 as government puts kids ahead of profits - VIDEO NEWS STORY 4 mins. SKY NEWS - AUSTRALIA - 11-29-2024.
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ADDITIONAL STORY TEXT BELOW:
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Senate passes laws to ban social media for children under 16 as government puts 'kids ahead of profits'

Australia will be the first country in the world to ban social media for children under the age of 16 following a frantic night where 31 bills were passed in the dying hours of the last day of parliament.
David Wu - Digital Reporter - November 29, 2024 - 6:15AM - 2 min read

Millions of Australian children under the age of 16 will be banned from using social media after historic laws were passed on the last day of parliament for 2024.

The Senate passed 31 bills overnight, including the restrictions on social media for teens, in a frantic and marathon last day for politicians before they head off on holidays.

The world-first legislation will mean kids under the age of 16 are set to be blocked from accessing popular platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat.

It was passed with bipartisan support.

The proposed social media ban was raised by the Albanese government over safety fears for children and after kids took their lives from mental impacts of bullying and extortion, and after News Corp's campaign "Let Them Be Kids" launched in May.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the result as "world-leading" and declared social media giants can now be held accountable if they failed to protect youths.

“Social media is doing social harm to our children, and I want Australian parents to know that we have their backs,” he said to News Corp on Friday.

“Platforms now have a social responsibility to ensure the safety of our kids is a priority.”

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said families have been left shocked at what kids have access to on social media, adding the legislation will help kids stay safe.

“These laws are an important step to make social media companies put the best interests of our kids ahead of their own profits,” he said.

The ban will not come into effect until the end of next year.

Social media companies can be fined up to $50 million for failing to take "reasonable steps" to keep children under the age of 16 from accessing their platforms.

Kids will not be fined if they try to access it.

Digital identification, such as passports and licences, will not need to be provided.

Social media giants had urged the government to delay the bill until next year as the $6.5 million age-verification trial to determine its effectiveness was still ongoing.

Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, said it respected the laws by the Australian government but it is concerned the legislation was not examined enough.

"However, 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 said.

"Last week, the Parliament’s own committee said the "causal link with social media appears unclear,” with respect to the mental health of young Australians, whereas this week the rushed Senate Committee report pronounced that social media caused harm.

"This demonstrates the lack of evidence underpinning the legislation and suggests this was a predetermined process.

"The task now turns to ensuring there is productive consultation on all rules associated with the Bill to ensure a technically feasible outcome that does not place an onerous burden on parents and teens and a commitment that rules will be consistently applied across all social apps used by teens."
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ORIGINAL SKY NEWS VIDEO AND ARTICLE LINK > https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/politics/senate-passes-laws-to-ban-social-media-for-children-under-16-with-bipartisan-support-as-government-to-put-kids-ahead-of-profits/news-story/c23cc190a3be24f6eb669c273dd7c097
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