Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced groundbreaking legislation targeting social media platforms, proposing stringent age-verification requirements to protect users under 16.
The proposed laws would impact major platforms including Meta’s Instagram and Facebook, TikTok, X, and Snapchat, establishing what the government claims are the world’s most comprehensive digital protection measures for minors.
“There will be very strong and strict privacy requirements to protect people’s personal information, including an obligation to destroy information provided once age has been verified,” Albanese told parliament.
Key highlights of Australia’s proposed legislation include:
– Mandatory age verification potentially using biometrics or government identification
– No exemptions for parental consent or existing accounts
– Potential fines of up to $32 million for non-compliance
– Requirement for platforms to immediately destroy personal data used in age verification
Elon Musk criticises Australia’s social media ban
The proposal has already sparked controversy, with X owner Elon Musk criticizing the legislation as a “backdoor attempt to control access to the internet for all Australians.”
The Australian government aims to expedite the bill’s passage by the end of the parliamentary year, signalling an urgent approach to digital safety for minors.
This unprecedented legislation represents a significant global precedent in regulating social media access for younger users, potentially influencing similar measures in other countries.
