SYDNEY: Tech giants on Friday criticized a landmark Australian law banning children under 16 from using social media, claiming it was “rushed” through parliament.
Late Thursday, Australia banned teenagers from using social media. TikTok, Instagram, Facebook owner Meta, and other digital firms face legislation to prevent minors from logging in or face fines of up to A$49.5 million ($32 million).
TikTok, a hugely popular platform where teenage users upload and share videos, said in a statement to Reuters on Friday that the ban is likely to push young people into dark corners of the internet.
“Going forward, it is critical that the Australian Government works with industry to address the issues raised by this rushed process. We are committed to keeping young people safe and protecting all Australians under this law.” Want to work together to minimize the intended consequences.”
The government had warned Big Tech about its plans for months, and announced the ban earlier this year after a parliamentary inquiry heard testimony from parents of children who had self-harmed because of cyberbullying. had gone
Albany’s Labor Party, which does not control the Senate, won significant support from opposition conservatives for the bill, allowing it to move quickly.
The bill was tabled in Parliament last Thursday and referred to a select committee on Friday where interested parties were given 24 hours to submit their submissions. The legislation was passed on Thursday as part of 31 bills introduced in a chaotic final day of parliament for the year.
Metta criticized the law, saying it was a “default practice”.
“Last week, Parliament’s own committee said the ‘causal link with social media appears unclear’ for the mental health of young Australians, while this week a Senate committee urgent report said social media harm.” statement early Friday.
That leaves many questions unanswered, said Snapchat parent Snap.
Australia has been at loggerheads with mostly US-based tech giants for years. It was the first country to force social media platforms to pay royalties to media outlets for sharing their content and earlier this year said it would threaten to fine them for failing to stamp out scams. intends to
Sunita Bose, managing director of the Digital Industry Group, which has most social media companies as members, said no one could say with confidence how the law would work in practice.
“The community and the platform are in the dark about what is required of them,” he said.
With the ban in place until November 2025, testing of enforcement methods will begin in January.