New social media law – what will it mean?
December 07,2024
Should children under 16 be restricted from accessing social media?
On the face of it, it seems like a good idea, given the harms that kids’ use of social media is known to cause.
But what about the hidden costs?
On 29 November, the Australian Government passed the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024, introducing changes that will likely impact all Australians.
The amendments put the onus on social media platforms to prevent children under the age of 16 from having social media accounts. And it imposes hefty fines – of up to $49.5 million – for noncompliance.
The changes likely mean that all Australians will be required to provide multiple social media platforms with documentary proof verifying their age and identity – a form of digital ID.
This puts this sensitive personal data in the hands of multiple corporates, creating privacy risks and making it vulnerable to hacking.
‘Seems like a backdoor way to control access to the Internet by all Australians,’ said Elon Musk on X.
Addressing only children’s access to social media and not addressing their access to the wireless devices that allow them access, is solving only a part of the problem. It fails to recognise that exposure to wireless radiation could be a factor in the social media harms that have been so widely documented.
The legislation was a rushed job. The Senate gave the Environment and Communications Legislation Committee just five days to report on the Bill and Australians were given just 24 hours (over a working day) to forward online submissions.
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What else can you do?