Australia’s lower house of parliament has voted overwhelmingly to pass a landmark bill banning the use of social media by children under 16
The bill passed by the House of Representatives on Wednesday targets social media platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and X with fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($32m) if they fail to comply with the ban.
After passing with 103 votes in favour to 13 votes against, the bill will move to the Senate, where it is also expected to pass with the support of Australia’s major parties.
Opposition lawmaker Dan Tehan said the government had agreed to amendments made in the Senate that would bolster privacy protections for social media users, including a prohibition on platforms compelling users to submit government-issued identification.
Should the ban become law, social media companies will have a year to work out how to comply with the order.
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