Bill to ban under 16s from social media in Australia progress

The bill to ban children under the age of 16 from using the social media in Australia, has passed the lower chamber.

The landmark legislation passed Australia’s parliament’s lower chamber on Wednesday and is now set to be debated by the Senate.

Centre-left Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who is eyeing an election early next year, has enthusiastically championed the ban and rallied Aussie parents to support it.

He stated that the social media is “a platform for peer pressure, a driver of anxiety, a vehicle for scammers and, worst of all, a tool for online predators.”

According to him, he wants young Australians to “off their phones and onto the footy and cricket field, the tennis and netball courts, in the swimming pool.”

The lawmakers have also threatened companies that fail to comply with multimillion-dollar fines.

The new rules would require Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat to take “reasonable steps” to prevent young teens from having accounts.

Social media firms who could face fines of up to Aus$50 million (US$32.5 million) for failing to impose the ban have described the laws as “vague”, “problematic” and “rushed.”