In a milestone decision, Australia’s Senate on Thursday passed laws to ban children and teenagers from using social media, in the first such decision by any government across the globe.
The laws, passed on the last day of the ongoing Senate session, are set to come into force at the end of next year, after which anyone age 16 or below will be blocked from using platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Reddit, and X.
The government led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese defended the move, saying it was “necessary to protect their mental health and well-being.”
Under the new laws, however, social media companies will not be able to force users to provide government identification, including digital IDs, to assess their age, according to ABC News.
The legislation, passed by the lower house of the Parliament on Wednesday, also proposes hefty fines of up to AU$50 million ($32 million) for platforms that do not comply.
While 34 senators voted in favor, 19 opposed it. The House of Representatives, however, overwhelmingly approved the legislation with 102 votes in favor and just 13 lawmakers opposing the ban.
Earlier, Albanese said social media was "doing social harm."
“We want Australian children to have a childhood, and we want parents to know the Government is in their corner. This is a landmark reform. We know some kids will find workarounds, but we're sending a message to social media companies to clean up their act,” he said in a statement on Nov. 21.
Many social media platforms have policies against minors using their services, but they are known to be widely ignored. Some platforms have been accused of using algorithms to make teenagers addicted to their services, claims the companies firmly deny.
Numerous studies have linked social media usage among youth with lower self-esteem and psychological problems.