Australia bans minors from accessing social media: Tech giants criticize implementation

Australia has banned the use of social media for teenagers under 16 with a groundbreaking law. Major technology companies expressed clear criticism on Friday, describing the law as rushed. Companies like Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, as well as TikTok, must ensure that minors can no longer log in; otherwise, they face penalties of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars. The popular video portal TikTok expressed concern that the ban could push young people into darker corners of the internet and called on the Australian government to work more closely with the industry to mitigate the negative consequences of the law. The government’s initiative had been known for months, based on an investigation prompted by parental reports of self-harm by children due to cyberbullying. Surprisingly, the government party under Anthony Albanese received the necessary support from the conservative opposition to swiftly pass the law. Meta stated in a declaration that the legislative process had been hasty and that the causal link between social media usage and the mental health of young Australians was unclear. Snap, the company behind Snapchat, also criticized numerous open questions regarding implementation. Australia has been in conflict with the predominantly US-based tech giants for years. It was the first country globally to demand social networks pay licensing fees to media publishers and plans to sanction platforms for neglecting fraud campaigns. However, there is great uncertainty about the implementation of the new law. Sunita Bose from the Digital Industry Group, representing many of these social networks, emphasized that no one can clearly explain how the law is practically enforceable.