Tech giants have called on the Australian government to delay the bill aimed at banning social media platforms for children under 16. The bill was introduced in the parliament last week and has become the subject of a heated debate in the tech sphere.
Meta and Google have said that the piece of legislation requires more time to determine its impact. The bill is expected to be signed into law this week, which will make Australia the first country to implement the toughest measures on children’s use of social media.
In their submissions, Google and Meta have suggested that the government should wait for the outcomes of the trial of the age-verification system that it is planning to enforce. According to the government, the age-verification system may comprise biometrics or official identification to prevent under-16s from accessing social media platforms.
“In the absence of such results, neither industry nor Australians will understand the nature or scale of age assurance required by the bill, nor the impact of such measures on Australians,” says Meta. The company says that the legislation, in its current form, is “inconsistent and ineffective”.
ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, has raised concerns on the bill, too, citing lack of clarity. “Where novel policy is put forward, it’s important that legislation is drafted in a thorough and considered way, to ensure it is able to achieve its stated intention,” it says. “This has not been the case with respect to this Bill.”
X (formerly Twitter) has said the bill will adversely affect the rights of children and young people, impeding free speech and expression and access to information. Billionaire Elon Musk, the owner of X, has already lambasted the Australian government over the legislation, accusing it of trying to control the internet.
Social media apps that could be impacted by the restrictive bill include Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, and Snapchat.
