A "world first," the new rule, once it comes into effect a year from now, will require anyone who tries to use social media to first comply with an age verification prompt proving they are older than 16. People 16 and younger in Australia will only be allowed to use certain social media platforms like YouTube and educational apps as determined appropriate by the government.
Australia's center-left Labor government passed the bill with full support from the center-right Liberal-National Coalition. The Senate passed the bill quietly on November 28, while the lower House passed it one day prior.
"I think parents need help with this, and this is why I think there is a case for government intervention," said Liberal Sen. Dave Sharma the day the Senate passed the bill.
"Partly because parents have to grapple with the ubiquity of phones and electronic devices, and the crude measure that some suggest – which is take away your kid's phone, or give them a non-smartphone without adding any apps – I don't think is particularly realistic."
Sharma continued on the Senate floor to explain his parenting ideology, which helped fuel the bill's passage.
"I think in today's era we expect our children to be able to be contacted and be contactable, and this is especially true in situations in many households today where both parents are working, and they are often not home when the children might be home or coming home from school."
(Related: Earlier this year, we reported that the Australian parliament also passed a digital identification law to force all Aussies to share sensitive and private information in order to use the internet.)
While Sharma believes that there are some benefits to young children using social media, he contends that they must be restricted from most of it because otherwise they will waste too much time staring at their screens, in his opinion.
"We all saw this during the COVID pandemic, when our children weren't going to school and they stayed in touch through messaging platforms, through social media platforms, and it allows them to build and maintain a social circle," he said.
"I also appreciate that the people who are isolated geographically or socially or otherwise, it provides them a way to build a community which might not be available to them in the real world."
Australia's Greens oppose the bill, with Greens Sen. David Shoebridge describing it as "deeply flawed" and having clearly come from people who have "never been on the internet."
"It's a bill to appease [media mogul] Rupert Murdoch," Shoebridge said, referring to the media mogul who owns Fox News and other platforms.
As for the exceptionally short Senate inquiry into the bill, Shoebridge called this a "sham," adding that the evidence against passing a social media ban was "overwhelming."
Keeping "Australians safe online," added Labor Minister Jenny McAllister, is the Australian government's top priority.
"Through extensive consultation and with the input of states and territories, the government is agreeing that until a child turns 16, the social media environment as it stands is not age-appropriate for them," McAllister said in a speech.
"Critically, this legislation will allow for a twelve-month implementation period – to ensure this novel and world-leading reform can take effect with the care and consideration Australian's rightly expect."
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22 days ago • edited
prohibiting children 16 and under from using social media
TRANSLATION
Teaching children 16 and under that the ONLY way to use social media (or going on line in general) is with a biometric digital ID.
23 days ago
How the hell will they enforce this?
23 days ago
Censorship under the guise of the children and now that they've passed this law the age requirement will incrementally be increased!!!
23 days ago • edited
What Australia's corporate Parliament has passed, with the support of the far left labor party and the center left liberal party, is a blank cheque. The law is light on detail and the PM promises to fill in the details later. The bill was passed shortly after the governments digital Id legislation. It has been sold as a bill to protect children, but of course everyone will have to prove their age and identity. It is Bill Gate's internet drivers license by stealth. There are a number of people pointing to the Murdoch's as the instigators and beneficiaries, e.g. the the quote from Soros's playthings the greens. The actual source is the UN, desperately trying to regain narrative control after the covid disaster. Australia's main stream politicians are to a man (or women) corrupt and controlled. Like covid, at least 50% of the Australian population are asleep and will move like lambs to the slaughter to accept this latest assault on what few privileges they have left.