Those under the age of 16 will be banned from using social media from the end of next year, with the Federal Government's world-first legislation passing Parliament.
The Bill will see anyone under the age of 16 blocked from using a range of social media platforms, platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook, with the Government and the Coalition arguing it is necessary to protect mental health and wellbeing.
The laws won’t apply to messaging services, such as Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp, or like Kids Helpline as well as an educational exemption for YouTube and Google Classroom.
It is currently unclear how the age ban will be enforced, or if the legislation will require all Australians to disclose further personal data.
The vote came in late on Thursday evening, rounding out an intense evening in the Senate on the Government’s last full sitting for 2024.
The Speaker confirmed that Parliament will sit again in February of next year.
The vote received bipartisan support following an hour of debate, with crossbenchers questioning and heckling the major parties over what they deemed to be a rushed law.
The major parties had pushed to have the legislation passed quickly before the end of the year, despite concerns from some Coalition MPs, the Greens and Independents who called for more time and detail on the Bill.
Coalition senators Matt Canavan and Alex Antic crossed the floor to vote with the entire crossbench against the laws and Liberal MP Bridget Archer also broke with her party earlier in the week to vote with the Green against the Bill in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
Independent MP Kylea Tink today described the Bill as “headline grabbing”, but ultimately a “1970 solution for a 2024 problem” that would not do what it promised.
