MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) 鈥� Australia鈥檚 House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill that would , leaving it to the Senate to finalize the world-first law.
The major parties backed the bill that would make platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram liable for fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) for systemic failures to prevent young children from holding accounts.
The legislation passed 102 to 13. If the bill becomes law this week, the platforms would have one year to work out how to implement before the penalties are enforced.
Opposition lawmaker Dan Tehan told Parliament the government had agreed to accept amendments in the Senate that would bolster privacy protections. Platforms would not be allowed to compel users to provide government-issued identity documents including passports or driver鈥檚 licenses, nor could they demand digital identification through a government system.
鈥淲ill it be perfect? No. But is any law perfect? No, it鈥檚 not. But if it helps, even if it helps in just the smallest of ways, it will make a huge difference to people鈥檚 lives,鈥� Tehan told Parliament.
The bill was introduced to the Senate late Wednesday but it adjourned for the day hours later without putting it to a vote. The legislation will likely be passed on Thursday, the Parliament's final session for the year and potentially the last before elections, which are due within months.
The major parties鈥� support all but guarantees the legislation will pass in the Senate, where no party holds a majority of seats.
Lawmakers who were not aligned with either the government or the opposition were most critical of the legislation during debate on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Criticisms include that the legislation had been rushed through Parliament without adequate scrutiny, would not work, would create privacy risks for users of all ages and would take away parents鈥� authority to decide what鈥檚 best for their children.
Critics also argue the ban would isolate children, deprive them of positive aspects of social media, drive children to the dark web, make children too young for social media reluctant to report harms encountered, and take away incentives for platforms to make online spaces safer.
Independent lawmaker Zoe Daniel said the legislation would 鈥渕ake zero difference to the harms that are inherent to social media.鈥�
鈥淭he true object of this legislation is not to make social media safe by design, but to make parents and voters feel like the government is doing something about it,鈥� Daniel told Parliament.
鈥淭here is a reason why the government parades this legislation as world-leading, that鈥檚 because no other country wants to do it,鈥� she added.
had asked for the vote to be delayed until at least June next year when a government-commissioned of age assurance technologies made its report on how the ban could be enforced.
Melbourne resident Wayne Holdsworth, whose 17-year-old son Mac took his own life last year after falling victim to an online sextortion scam, described the bill as 鈥渁bsolutely essential for the safety of our children.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 not the only thing that we need to do to protect them because education is the key, but to provide some immediate support for our children and parents to be able to manage this, it鈥檚 a great step,鈥� the 65-year-old online safety campaigner told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
鈥淎nd in my opinion, it鈥檚 the greatest time in our country鈥檚 history,鈥� he added, referring to the pending legal reform.
Rod Mcguirk, The Associated Press
