Social Media Platforms Request One-Year Delay for Under-16 Ban in Australia

The law could impose fines of up to 50 million Australia dollars ($33 million) on social media platforms that fail to prevent children from creating accounts.

A lawyer representing major social media platforms stated that the proposed laws banning children under 16 in Australia from accessing these sites should be postponed until at least next year, according to a report by news agency AP.

The advocate, Sunita Bose, managing director of Digital Industry Group Inc., represented social media platforms in Australia such as X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.

Bose, speaking at a Senate committee hearing on the new legislation, urged parliament to wait for the government’s evaluation of age verification technologies, due in June, before proceeding.

The report quoted Bose as saying, “Parliament is being asked to pass a bill this week without understanding how it will function.”

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Media Platforms Request

She referred to the legislation that, if passed by parliament by Thursday, could impose fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) on platforms that fail to prevent young children from creating accounts.

When Senator Ross Cadell asked how his 10-year-old stepson had accounts on Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube since age 8, despite the 13+ age limit, Bose admitted the industry needs improvement and stated that solutions would take a year.

Bose warned that the ban could isolate children and push some towards “darker, less safe online spaces,” potentially compromising their safety.

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