Desk Report: Australia has passed a proposal to ban social media use for children under the age of 16. The proposal was approved by the Senate on Thursday, with 34 votes in favor and 19 against.
According to a report by the BBC, the proposal passed in the Senate will now be sent to the lower house of Parliament, the House of Representatives.
Necessary amendments will be made there before it becomes law. Given the current government’s majority in the lower house, the proposal is expected to pass there as well.
Once the proposal becomes law, it will be trialed starting January next year, with the ban set to be enforced within a year of the trial.
The proposal has been named ‘The Social Media Minimum Age’.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated that the law is necessary to protect children from the “harmful” effects of social media. Many parents in the country support this view.
Once the law is passed, major platforms like Meta (Instagram and Facebook) and TikTok will be required to prevent children under 16 from using their services in Australia.
Failure to comply could result in fines of up to 32 million AUD for tech companies.