Australia is among the vanguard of nations trying to clean up social media

Google and Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, have urged the Australian government to delay a bill that will ban most forms of social media for children under 16, saying more time was needed to assess its potential impact.

MELBOURNE (Nov 26): Australia’s proposal to ban under-16s from social media platforms is “rushed”, social media companies claimed Tuesday, expressing “serious concerns” about potential unintended consequences. The landmark legislation would force social media firms to prevent young teens from accessing their platforms or face fines of up to AU$50 million (RM143.8 million). Platforms such asRead More

Australia's proposal to ban under-16s from social media platforms is "rushed", social media companies claimed Tuesday, expressing "serious concerns" about potential unintended consequences.

The major parties’ support all but guarantees the legislation will be passed by the Senate.

Google and Facebook owner Meta Platforms urged the Australian government on Tuesday to delay a bill that will ban most forms of social media for children under 16, saying more time was needed to assess its potential impact. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's centre-left government wants to pass the bill, which…

Google and Meta said in their submissions that the government should wait for the results of an age-verification trial before going ahead.

The move is politically popular but a vocal assortment of experts have responded with alarm.

Australian bill bans children under 16 from social media, holding platforms accountable for underage users with hefty fines.

Experts say plan ‘too blunt an instrument to address risks effectively’