Australian Senate passes first-ever law prohibiting children 16 and under from using social media
By ethanh // 2024-12-05
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In 12 months, a new law in Australia will come into effect that bars children 16 years of age and younger from using social media platforms like Facebook, X, TikTok and Snapchat. A "world first," the new rule, once it comes into effect a year from now, will require anyone who tries to use social media to first comply with an age verification prompt proving they are older than 16. People 16 and younger in Australia will only be allowed to use certain social media platforms like YouTube and educational apps as determined appropriate by the government. Australia's center-left Labor government passed the bill with full support from the center-right Liberal-National Coalition. The Senate passed the bill quietly on November 28, while the lower House passed it one day prior. "I think parents need help with this, and this is why I think there is a case for government intervention," said Liberal Sen. Dave Sharma the day the Senate passed the bill. "Partly because parents have to grapple with the ubiquity of phones and electronic devices, and the crude measure that some suggest – which is take away your kid's phone, or give them a non-smartphone without adding any apps – I don't think is particularly realistic." Sharma continued on the Senate floor to explain his parenting ideology, which helped fuel the bill's passage. "I think in today's era we expect our children to be able to be contacted and be contactable, and this is especially true in situations in many households today where both parents are working, and they are often not home when the children might be home or coming home from school." (Related: Earlier this year, we reported that the Australian parliament also passed a digital identification law to force all Aussies to share sensitive and private information in order to use the internet.)

Social media age-restriction law crafted by people who have "never been on the internet," warns Greens senator

While Sharma believes that there are some benefits to young children using social media, he contends that they must be restricted from most of it because otherwise they will waste too much time staring at their screens, in his opinion. "We all saw this during the COVID pandemic, when our children weren't going to school and they stayed in touch through messaging platforms, through social media platforms, and it allows them to build and maintain a social circle," he said. "I also appreciate that the people who are isolated geographically or socially or otherwise, it provides them a way to build a community which might not be available to them in the real world." Australia's Greens oppose the bill, with Greens Sen. David Shoebridge describing it as "deeply flawed" and having clearly come from people who have "never been on the internet." "It's a bill to appease [media mogul] Rupert Murdoch," Shoebridge said, referring to the media mogul who owns Fox News and other platforms. As for the exceptionally short Senate inquiry into the bill, Shoebridge called this a "sham," adding that the evidence against passing a social media ban was "overwhelming." Keeping "Australians safe online," added Labor Minister Jenny McAllister, is the Australian government's top priority. "Through extensive consultation and with the input of states and territories, the government is agreeing that until a child turns 16, the social media environment as it stands is not age-appropriate for them," McAllister said in a speech. "Critically, this legislation will allow for a twelve-month implementation period – to ensure this novel and world-leading reform can take effect with the care and consideration Australian's rightly expect." The latest news about governments going after social media can be found at BigTech.news. Sources for this article include: TheEpochTimes.com NaturalNews.com
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