Australia has passed a first-ever social media ban for youth, barring children under the age of 16 from using the platforms.
The Australian Senate passed the legislation Thursday night with bipartisan backing. The law will impact social media platforms, including Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook, X and Reddit, but it will not be enforced for YouTube.
The companies are the only ones responsible for enforcing the restriction, and if they fail to do so after one year, they could face fines of up to $32 million.
“We know social media is doing social harm,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement a week ago. “We want Australian children to have a childhood, and we want parents to know the Government is in their corner.”
“This is a landmark reform. We know some kids will find workarounds, but we’re sending a message to social media companies to clean up their act,” he added.
The bill was introduced last week into the Parliament, and only one day was allowed to send in opinions about the legislation.
Supporters of the bill have argued it would protect kids from the harmful hazards of social media and preserve their mental health. It had backing from both Albanese’s Australian Labor Party and was mostly supported by the opposing Liberal Party.
A YouGov poll released this week found that 77 percent of Australians support the restriction, which is an increase from 61 percent in August.
Critics argued the ban is too draconian and that lawmakers have failed to consider the positive traits of social media. Platforms have pleaded to delay the passage of the legislation to have enough time to evaluate the consequences of the restriction.
“It’s a race to the bottom to try and pretend who can be the toughest, and all they end up with is pushing young people into further isolation and giving the platforms the opportunity to continue the free-for-all, because now there’s no social responsibility required,” Australian Sen. Sarah Hanson-Young said, according to CNN.
“We need to make social media safer for everybody.”