The stringent bill passed last week by the Australian Parliament regarding the social media ban for children has now witnessed a new take. As the ban would restrict many social media platforms, the parent companies like Meta and Google have now come to the limelight with their statements. Google and Meta persuaded the Australian government on Tuesday, November 26, to delay a bill that would ban many social media platforms for children under 16. The tech giants claimed more time was needed to assess the potential impact.
Legislation Highlights
Anthony Albanese, the Prime Minister of Australia, last week said that social media firms need to destroy personal data used to verify users’ ages. And propose a strict ban on children under 16 using the services. The prime minister said in the parliament, “There will be very strong and strict privacy requirements to protect people’s personal information, including an obligation to destroy the information provided once age has been verified.”Google and Meta along with other 15,000 submissions on the parliamentary inquiry opinioned that the Australian government’s bill should be delayed as it is a sudden move without much consultation.
Australia’s center-left government proposed the bill on Thursday 21, November in Parliament and is supported by the opposition Liberal Party as well, whereas the Green Party demands more information about the proposed law. The law could impact major social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X, and Snapchat. Applications like YouTube and Google Meet will not be affected by the law for educational and health support. Even though many countries like France have previously proposed similar laws to minimize social media usage on children. Regarding the type of content viewed by children under a certain age. Australia has proposed the most strict of all laws ever proposed on this matter.
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Major companies take on the bill
Google opinioned that the parliamentary bill on social media ban for children does not provide enough information or clarity on what to include or exclude. The company criticizes the bill for rushing and not taking into account the practicability of the services to determine the users’ age, whether they are under, above, or 16. Google also stated that the government’s trial of age-assurance technology which is expected to be finished by mid-2025, should be considered to eradicate this issue before passing the bill. The company also quoted its concern for not waiting until the trial’s conclusion and is a reflection of the faulty regulatory practices.
Meta was also of the same opinion as Google and supported the delay of the bill until the completion of the age-assurance trial. The company said that the bill is “inconsistent and ineffective” and it would fail to receive the desired outcome without further consultations.
X on the submission said that the bill is not lawful and the company would be reserving legal rights. X proposed its concerns that the bill may not be aligning with other regulations and laws, even when Australia is a signatory of the international human rights treaties. The company also raised concerns about the rights of children and young people while it is still looking at the age-assurance options of the platform. The company CEO Elon Musk posted on X last week that the bill acts as a “backdoor” in controlling Australians’ access to the internet.
Snapchat emphasized the consequences and negative impact that this bill might have on young people. The company said that the bill is not backed by experts and would deny many valuable options like mental health and wellbeing resources to be accessed, whereas it would further drive these people to more unregulated dangerous online spaces. The Tech Council of Australia also warned the bill is rushed and would emphasize the already present perceptions of the Australian technology sectors that the regulatory actions would change without much consideration with constantly changing legislation.
