Australia Passes World-First Law Banning Children Under 16 From Social Media
HuffPost
Platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram will have one year to work out how they could implement the ban before penalties are enforced.
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A social media ban for children under 16 passed the Australian Senate Thursday and will soon become a world-first law.
The law will make platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram liable for fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) for systemic failures to prevent children younger than 16 from holding accounts.
The Senate passed the bill 34 votes to 19. The House of Representatives on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved the legislation by 102 votes to 13.
The House has yet to endorse opposition amendments made in the Senate. But that is a formality since the government has already agreed they will pass.
The platforms will have one year to work out how they could implement the ban before penalties are enforced.
