Australia PM defends new draft social media rules

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has defended new draft social media regulations after Washington warned the legislation could lead to censorship.

In a statement, the US embassy in Canberra raised "serious concerns" over draft laws that would place a "duty of care" on social media giants.

Asked about those comments, Mr Albanese told journalists in New York he would "always stand up for Australia's national interest".

"It's not about giving government control, it's about giving people back control over what they receive on their devices," Mr Albanese said.

"Which is why it is framed in that way."

Under the draft laws, social media giants face fines of up to Aus$109 million (€67.7m) if they fail to protect young users from harmful content.

Social media companies would be held responsible for protecting under-18s from pornography, online bullying, content that glorified crime, and content that encouraged eating disorders.

The legislation also includes a requirement that platforms allow users to "opt out" of powerful algorithms that determine what comes up on social media feeds.

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The draft laws would be introduced to Australia's parliament later this year after consultation with social media companies, industry bodies and civil society groups.

Washington's embassy in Canberra warned the draft laws could "allow regulators to impose rigid, one-size-fits-all platform design requirements".

"A framework that empowers governments to enforce vague definitions of 'harm' risks becoming a mechanism for viewpoint-based censorship," it added.

It also said the laws would largely impact US-headquartered companies, and stressed its "opposition to foreign measures that result in extraterritorial censorship of protected speech by Americans online".

Australia implemented legislation barring children from social media platforms in December, part of a world-first crackdown designed to protect children from online bullying and "predatory algorithms".

The UK, France and others have followed suit.

Data last month found that under-16s in Australia were increasing their use of social media apps such as Instagram and TikTok despite the ban.