Australia will push ahead with a ban on social media for under-16s, despite calls by Meta Platforms Inc. to consider shifting responsibility for policing use to app store operators like Google and Apple.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Friday that all state and territory leaders signed the plan for age restrictions, and the government rejected exemptions for large services such as Facebook, TikTok or X.
The legislation will be presented to the legislature in the week starting on November 18, with a 12-month gap between the approval of the bill and its entry into force. No information has been provided about what personal information would be required to prove proof of age on social media or the penalties companies may face for breaking the law. The government has also not provided a detailed list of platforms that are considered social networks.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said under the new legislation, such services would be labeled as “age restricted”. The minister said the government would look at individual websites and online services to determine whether they were subject to the laws, but added that gaming services and messaging apps would be exempt.
Australia has a history of hosting large tech companies that operate social networking sites, among others a boost in 2021 To make meta’s Facebook and Alphabet Inc google pay for news content. Most recently, the government clashed with Elon Musk’s X Corp. over the blunder remove a video of an attack in Sydney.
Mia Garlick, regional policy director for Meta Australia, said while the company agreed that young people should have “age-appropriate experiences” on social media, it was important to consider how this could be implemented in practice.
“The challenge is that the technology is not yet a perfect solution,” Garlick told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. on friday He added that it would be better for mobile app store providers to put age restrictions on their products than for social media companies.
“If every app has to have age-appropriate controls in place, the burden will be on the young person and their parents for every app that a young person wants to use,” he said.
TikTok and X have not yet commented on their age restriction policy. Apple Inc. and Google representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Albanese rejected Meta’s suggestion, saying that the government had received his proposal well and that he believed there would be opposition to the new laws.
He said that while the laws would not completely keep under-16s off online platforms, it would send an important signal.
“We prohibit the purchase of alcohol for those under the age of 18. Well, this weekend I’m sure there will be an example of someone under the age of 18 getting alcohol,” he told reporters in Canberra. “It doesn’t mean you say, ‘Oh, it’s too hard, let it rip.'”
