Teen social media ban a step closer despite concerns

Australian children are one step closer to being banished from social media, despite widespread concerns. Those younger than 16 could soon be banned from platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Reddit and X after the legislation passed the lower house of federal parliament on Wednesday. Questions have been raised over privacy concerns and whether it will work to keep kids off the platforms, but the ban has received bipartisan support and is also expected to clear the Senate. "Most parents want us to crack on and do this," cabinet minister Jason Clare told reporters. "It won't be perfect, it won't be everybody that will comply - that's just a fact. "(But) if we want to make a difference, this is the sort of legislation that can help us do that." Tasmanian MP Bridget Archer broke from the coalition and crossed the floor on the bill after expressing concerns about its rushed consultation process during a partyroom meeting. The Greens and several independents - including Zoe Daniel, Kylea Tink and Bob Katter - also voted against the bill and argued for alternative methods to reduce online harms. The bill's passage was recommended by a Labor-led committee, though it also made several other suggestions to protect children from online perils. A digital duty of care for platforms to ensure the safety of users, consultation with young people, greater reporting requirements and bringing forward the start date of the social media ban were recommended by the committee. It also recommended ruling out the use of government IDs such as passports and giving the minister the power to review what the eSafety commissioner determines to be "reasonable steps" taken by tech companies to enforce the ban. People would not be forced to hand over government-issued IDs such as licences or passports to access social media, Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said. The inquiry has been widely criticised after it ran for only a single day. The definition of social media should be narrowed and tech companies should be banned from using the data from identity documents anywhere else apart from to comply with a court or legal order, Nationals senator Matt Canavan said in a dissenting report. Senator Canavan, who has spearheaded concerns about the rushed legislation from the coalition camp, called for the focus to remain "on those apps that do the most damage to young children". How tech companies will implement the ban is in their hands, with the laws not mandating a specific technology, but questions remain about the potential invasive nature of age verification. Human rights advocates have criticised the laws for going too far, saying while there are problems with social media, a blanket ban risks cutting kids off from support networks. "Social media can be a lifeline for young people with disability, providing one of the few truly accessible ways to build connections and find community," Children and Young People with Disability Australia CEO Skye Kakoschke-Moore said. "Cutting off that access ignores the lived reality of thousands and risks isolating disabled youth from their peer networks and broader society." It was a point echoed by eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant, who said while children needed to be protected online, vulnerable and marginalised kids needed "a way to connect and to create and explore". Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce welcomed the ban, saying it wasn't perfect but changes could be made in the future and it was the beginning of the process to alleviate the problem. "These companies could have done something, it's not as if they haven't heard about this - they choose not to, that's the problem," he told parliament. Lifeline 13 11 14 Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25)