Social media companies on Friday criticized Australia’s decision to ban them from allowing children under 16 to use their platforms, saying the move has left “many unanswered questions.”
The law, passed by Australian lawmakers on Thursday, will make platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram liable for fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars (€30.5 million, $32 million) if they fail to prevent children younger than 16 from holding accounts.
How did social media companies react?
Meta Platforms, which owns Facebook and Instagram, said the legislation had been “rushed.”
“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,” the company said in a statement.
A Snapchat spokesperson said the company had raised “serious concerns” about the law and there remained “many unanswered questions” about how it would work. But the company said it would engage closely with the government to develop an approach balancing “privacy, safety and practicality.”
Video platform TikTok said it was “disappointed” by the legislation.
“It’s entirely likely the ban could see young people pushed to darker corners of the internet where no community guidelines, safety tools, or protections exist,” a TikTok spokesperson said.
What did Australia’s PM say about the ban?
Australia’s major parties, however, all supported the ban.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said young Australians should be “off their phones and onto the footy and cricket field, the tennis and netball courts, in the swimming pool.”
Albanese noted the ban may not be implemented perfectly, much like existing alcohol restrictions. Still, he said it was “the right thing to do.”
The crackdown on social media sites will lead to “better outcomes and less harm for young Australians,” the premier added, stressing that the platforms have a “social responsibility” to make children’s safety a priority. “We’ve got your back, is our message to Australian parents.”
Scarce details on enforcement
The legislation, however, offers almost no details on how the rules will be enforced.
A trial of methods to enforce the measure will start in January with the ban to take effect in a year.
Platforms would not be allowed to compel users to provide government-issued ID or digital identification through a government system. Underage users and their parents will not be punished for any violations.
Some, including Green Party Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, blasted the bill, saying it “is boomers trying to tell young people how the internet should work.”
“It’s also obvious that the people who have drafted and fought for the particular elements of this bill actually have no idea how young people engage with the internet,” she added.
Sunita Bose, managing director of the digital industry body DIGI, said more details on how the rules will be enforced need to be provided.
“We have the bill but we don’t have guidance from the Australian government around what are the right methods that a whole host of services subject to this law will need to employ.”
Stricter social media curbs considered worldwide
Other countries will likely be watching closely to see how this legislation is enforced. Many of them are thinking about making similar bans.
In June, Spain proposed a law raising the age of people using social media from 14 to 16.
Last year, France proposed a ban on social media for users under 15, but many were able to circumvent it with parental consent.
Meanwhile, the United States, for decades now, has required tech companies to seek parental consent to access the data of users under 13.
China has restricted access for minors since 2021, with under-14s not allowed to spend more than 40 minutes a day on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok.
sri, lo/nm, ab (Reuters, AFP, AP)
