JAKARTA - Tech giants Google and Meta are urging the Australian government to postpone the ratification of a bill that would ban most social media access for children under 16 years. Both companies argue that more time is needed to review the potential impact of the bill.
The administration of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who is left-and- center, plans to pass the bill into law on Thursday, November 28, before the end of parliamentary year. If passed, this bill will become one of the strictest regulations in the world regarding the use of social media by children.
However, Google and Meta in their opinion filing asked the Australian government to wait for the results of the trial of the age verification system before continuing legislative steps. This system can include biometrics or government identification to ensure the age limit of social media users.
"Without the results of the trial, neither industry nor Australian society will understand the scale or nature of age security required by this bill, nor its impact on Australians," Meta said in a statement. "In its current form, the bill is inconsistent and ineffective."
This bill requires social media platforms, not parents or children, to take reasonable steps to ensure age verification protection is implemented. Systemic violations of this rule can be fined up to USD 49.5 million (approximately IDR 496 billion).
However, some have criticized the hasty legislative process. The Liberal Party opposition is expected to support the bill, although a number of independent lawmakers accuse the government of only taking about a week to complete the process.
TikTok, which is owned by ByteDance, called the bill unclear and expressed great concern over the government's plan to certify it without in-depth consultation with experts, mental health organizations, social media platforms, and young people.
"When a new policy is introduced, it is important that legislation be designed in depth and carefully to ensure its goals are achieved. This does not happen in this bill," said TikTok.
Meanwhile, platform X, owned by Elon Musk, revealed that the bill could have a negative impact on the human rights of children and youth, including the right to freedom of expression and access to information. Musk even accused the Australian government of trying to control internet access secretly.
Reports from the Senate committee in charge of communications legislation are scheduled to come out on Tuesday, while the government remains determined to pass the bill before this weekend.
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