Australia Senate committee backs bill to ban social media for children

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s centre-left Labor authorities is rushing to walk the bill, mostly supported by the absorption Liberal party, by the extremity of the parliamentary twelvemonth connected Thursday.

In its study published precocious connected Tuesday, the Senate’s situation and communications authorities committee said societal media platforms “must acceptable retired alternate methods for assuring property arsenic tenable steps with information fixed to the property assurance trial.”

A advancement study connected the property assurance proceedings indispensable beryllium submitted by the communications curate to the parliament by Sept. 30, 2025, the committee said arsenic it urged the authorities to “meaningfully engage” with younker erstwhile framing the law.

“Young people, and successful peculiar divers cohorts, indispensable beryllium astatine the centre of the speech arsenic an property regularisation is implemented to guarantee determination are constructive pathways for connection,” committee Chair Senator Karen Grogan said.

Some autarkic lawmakers person criticised the authorities for trying to walk the authorities successful a week. The measure was introduced past Thursday, submissions connected it closed connected Friday, and a little proceeding was held connected Monday.

In abstracted submissions, Google and Facebook-owner Meta Platforms said the societal media prohibition should beryllium delayed until the age-verification proceedings finishes.

Bytedance’s TikTok said the measure needed much consultation, portion Elon Musk’s X said the projected instrumentality mightiness wounded children’s quality rights.

The planned instrumentality would unit societal media platforms to instrumentality tenable steps to guarantee age-verification protections are successful place. Companies could beryllium fined up to A$49.5 cardinal ($32 million) for systemic breaches.