Australia PM Approved On Social Media Ban; know why

Australia PM Approved On Social Media Ban

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said this on Friday, after the country’s parliament has passed a bill prohibiting usage of social media services for people under 16 years of age. Australia greenlit the social media ban for children on Thursday  that has captured the attention of the nation, presenting some of the stringent regulatory measures against Big Tech jurisdictions across the world.

"Platforms now have a social responsibility to ensure the safety of our kids is a priority for them," Albanese said in a press conference. "We're making sure that mums and dads can have that different conversation today and in future days."

The legislation went through the lower house of the country’s parliament on Friday morning in a session. The law compels companies from Instagram and Facebook owner Meta Platforms (META.O), TikTok and others to prevent minors from signing in, which could cost up to AUD 49.5m (USD 32m) in fines.

A trial of enforcement measures will begin in January with the ban to be implemented in the next year. It passed through the country’s parliament during the last sitting week of the year. Albanese said on Friday that the correct strategy was passing the bill before the age verification trial has been completed.

"We are very clearly sending a message about our intentions here," he said. "The legislation is very clear. We don't argue that its implementation will be perfect, just like the alcohol ban for under 18s doesn't mean that someone under 18 never has access, but we know that it's the right thing to do."