Australia’s parliament has approved what is described as the world’s strictest law, banning access to social media for individuals younger than 16 from having accounts.
Reports indicate that the ban which saw an agreement in parliament on account of having passed the Senate by 34 votes to 19 late on Thursday, returning to the House of Representatives where it passed early on Friday.
Credible news sources indicate that the ban, is yet to take effect after a period of at least 12 months.
Tech companies have been given this time to determine how best they can implement measures that align to the decision of Australia. Failure of social media companies to comply will attract a fin up to A$50m ($32.5m; £25.7m).
Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese in engagement with reporters, said that the legislation is needed to protect young people from the “harms” of social media, something many parent groups have echoed.
But critics say questions over how the ban will work – and its impact on privacy and social connection – have been left
unanswered. “We want our kids to have a childhood and parents to know we have their backs,” Albanese told reporters
Australia has been labelled as the first country to make headway as one out of many attempts made globally to restrict children’s social media use, setting its minimum age according to the pending law as sixteen-years-old, the highest set by any country. Unlike other attempts, it also does not include exemptions for existing users or those with parental consent.
