Social media now responsible for ensuring children's safety - Australian PM

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Friday that social media platforms now have a responsibility to ensure the safety of children, after the country's parliament passed a world-first bill banning children under 16 from the services, Kyodo reported.

The legislation will require social media companies to "take reasonable steps" to prevent those under 16 from creating or holding an account on platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Reddit and X, or face fines of up to AU$49.5 million ($32 million).

"Platforms now have a social responsibility to ensure the safety of our kids is a priority for them," Albanese said at a press conference in Canberra on Friday. "We've got your back is our message to Australian parents."

The bill, which passed the Senate late Thursday, was fast-tracked through the country's parliament in the last sitting week of the year with backing from the main opposition bloc, the Liberal-National coalition, amid widespread public support.

Amendments made in the Senate that were upheld by the House of Representatives on Friday, bolstered privacy protections by barring social media firms from compelling users to provide government-issued identification documents such as passports or driver's licenses.

Platforms can still collect such documents for the age-verification process, but an alternative method must be offered.

Responding to the passage of the bill, Facebook and Instagram owner Meta Platforms Inc. said, "We are concerned about the process which rushed the legislation through while failing to properly consider the evidence, what industry already does to ensure age-appropriate experiences, and the voices of young people" while it respects the legislation.

The government will work with the industry and experts over the next 12 months to ensure the age-limit is effectively implemented, Australian Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said, before the ban comes into effect in a year at the earliest.

Users and their parents will not be penalized for any breaches of the age limit by the law as the responsibility for verifying age will fall on the platforms.