Australia one step closer to introducing minimum age for social media

Australia’s House of Representatives has approved a bill banning the use of social media under the age of 16.

According to news outlets Reuters and NBC News, the bill was passed with 102 votes in favor and 13 against on Wednesday.

The Senate will be debating the bill on Thursday to make sure it is passed by the end of Australia’s parliamentary year.

Earlier this week, a Senate committee expressed support for the proposal. That committee added a condition that social media platforms should not force their users to submit personal information, such as a passport or other digital identification, to prove their age. The committee also said the government should involve youth ‘in a meaningful way’ in drafting the law.

“Young people, and in particular diverse cohorts, must be at the center of the conversation as an age restriction is implemented to ensure there are constructive pathways for connection,” committee Chair Senator Karen Grogan said, according to Reuters.

Social media companies tried to convince the Senate to keep the current status quo intact. Google and Meta argued that the ban should be delayed until the age-verification trial finishes in mid-2025. TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, said that the bill needed more consultation. X argued that Australia’s bill might hurt children’s human rights.

In September, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told the media he wanted to introduce new legislation for social media use by the end of the year. Adopting a minimum age was one of the legislation’s key elements. Scientific research has well documented that social media are responsible for having an impact on both the mental and physical health of children.

“I want to see kids off their devices and onto the footy fields and the swimming pools and the tennis courts. We want them to have real experiences with real people because we know that social media is causing social harm,” Albanese said.

The bill not only bans the use of social media under the age of 16. It also requires social media companies to take ‘reasonable steps’ to ensure age-verification protections are in place. Violations could result in fines of up to $32 million.

Australia plans to test an age verification system that uses biometrics or government identification to enforce the age ban.

There’s a lot of controversy surrounding the bill. Teenagers don’t think a ban on social media is going to work, because it cuts them off from most of their social contacts. The Australian Human Rights Commission is also opposed to the ban, suggesting it violates children’s right to self-expression and to participate in society.