Australia social media ban for under-16s: Meta slams law, minister says 'play ball' or will 'get after them'

Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, reacted with fury after Australia passed a law banning children under 16 from social media, while a minister warned tech firms the government will 'get after them' if they don't 'play ball'.

In the first such move in the world, Australia passed a law on Thursday (Nov 28) to ban under-16s from social media, citing mental health issues among other things.

The law stipulates that failure to comply would incur penalties worth up to $50 million on social media companies.

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Despite their initial resistance, most major tech companies with social media platforms have grudgingly agreed to comply with the ban.

But after the law was passed, a Meta spokesperson accused the government of failing to consider young people’s voices and rushing the legislation.

“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,” a Meta spokesperson said as quoted by The Guardian newspaper.

Australia passes social media ban on children under 16, becomes first country to take such measure

The spokesperson of the Mark Zuckerberg-owned tech giant urged 'productive consultation on all rules' of the bill 'to ensure a technically feasible outcome that does not place an onerous burden on parents and teens'.

Meta also sought a commitment that the rules will apply to all social media apps used by teens.

X owner Elon Musk had opposed the law as a 'backdoor way to control access to the Internet' for all Australians.

But the government is digging its heels on the matter.

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Cabinet minister Murray Watt warned that social media firms "should take the ban seriously."

“Between those fines and social pressure, we will see social media companies play ball – and if they don’t, then we have the ability to go after them,” Watt said.

While the opposition supported the ban saying the benefits outweigh the risks, one independent MP criticised it. 

Opposition's shadow communications minister David Coleman speaking to Sky News, asked: "What other generation in history has grown up being exposed to as much damaging content as this generation?”

Independent MP Kylea Tink called the bill a ‘1970 solution for a 2024 problem’, adding the ban was 'headline-grabbing', without saying what it would do.

It's a "piece of legislation that’s grabbing headlines, not only here but right around the world," she said, while speaking to ABC RN channel.

"But will it make any child under 16 safer on social media today? No. And in fact, it will create a high degree of anxiety amongst young Australians who are using their social media platforms to feel like they’re part of a community that may not be in their immediate circle," she added.

(With inputs from agencies)