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Key points
- Elon Musk has criticized the government for its plan to introduce a social media ban for children under 16.
- Musk, the owner of social media platform X, has accused the government of trying to “control access to the internet.”
- The federal government submitted legislation for the ban to Parliament on Thursday.
Elon Musk has taken aim at the Albanian government's new social media ban on children under 16, claiming the government is trying to “control access to the internet.”
The owner of social media site X, who is preparing for the takeover took to the platform to speak out against the new laws.
“It appears to be a backdoor way to control internet access for all Australians,” he wrote in response to a tweet from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Albanese wrote: “TODAY: We are introducing our bill to make 16 the minimum age for social media.”
The post was accompanied by a 'community note' on X, a tool to add 'helpful comments' to posts that could be considered 'misleading'.
The community note on Albanese's post read: “This bill would require identity or age verification for all Australians to use social media, including adults. The government confirmed this is the only way to enforce it.”
The federal government on Thursday.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said the ban was about “protecting young people, not punishing or isolating them”.
What does the Online Safety Act actually say?
The Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024 introduces a minimum age of 16 years for having an account on age-restricted social media platforms.
The government says the bill puts the onus on social media platforms to “take reasonable steps to ensure that fundamental protections are provided.”
It requires platforms to introduce systems and settings to ensure underage users cannot create or maintain a social media account. A systematic failure in this area can be considered a breach.
The ban applies to platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.
Messaging apps such as WhatsApp, online gaming platforms and services whose “primary purpose is to support the health and education of end users” are excluded from the bill.
This is also expected to include YouTube. Anonymous web-based forums such as 4chan and Reddit will also likely be excluded because they can be accessed by users without creating an account.
It is unclear how platforms will manage the millions of existing users who will be affected by the ban.
Age verification process
As part of the bill, all Australians who want to access the affected platforms are expected to undergo an age verification process.
At a Senate estimates hearing earlier this month, James Chisholm, the deputy secretary of the Communications Department, confirmed that “everyone [would] must go through an age verification process”.
However, it is unclear what additional information people will need to submit to social media companies to maintain their accounts.
The government has said this move “may require the collection, use and disclosure of additional personal information.”
While recognizing concerns about the negative impact of social media on children, a mandatory age limit was “a Trojan horse for creating digital IDs,” said free speech and anti-censorship advocate Michael Shellenberger.
This would be “a giant leap from the totalitarian dystopia depicted in (television show) Black Mirror, and already present in China,” he said.
The federal government has ruled out mandatory digital IDs and the coalition has drawn a red line on their implementation.
The government says the bill will “enable young people to use the internet in a safer and more positive way.”
Opposition communications spokesman David Coleman also said the coalition would work with the government to finalize the legislation.
“Parents lie awake at night worrying about what their kids are being exposed to on Snapchat, TikTok or Instagram,” he said.
“We have seen very worrying mental health trends for Australian children, especially girls, over the past decade.”
But several experts have expressed concerns about the ban.
In October, 140 experts wrote one against the Albanians, arguing: “a 'ban' is too blunt an instrument to effectively address risks”.
The Australian Human Rights Commission also said it had “serious concerns” about the ban “given the potential for these laws to significantly disrupt the rights of children and young people”.
Instead, it proposed introducing measures to reduce harm, such as the ability to disable personal algorithms and implement a 'duty of care' model, which the government is moving forward with.
The ban is expected to take effect at least a year after the bill's passage.
– With additional reporting by the Australian Associated Press.
