Google and Meta have called on the Australian government to delay its proposed ban on social media use for children.
As per Reuters, the social media platforms urged the Australian government to postpone a proposed bill that would ban most forms of social media access for children under 16, citing the need for further assessment of its potential impact.
By the end of the legislative year, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government intended to pass the legislation, which is described as the world’s strictest law on children’s social media use.
It was introduced last week, but Google and Meta asked the government to wait for the age-verification trial results, before taking any steps.
In the verification system, they may add biometrics or government-issued identification to implement the age restriction.
“Without the results of this trial, neither industry nor Australians will fully understand the scale or nature of age verification required, or its impact,” Meta stated.
They also called the bill “inconsistent and ineffective” in its current form.
As per the proposed law, it would need social media platforms, not parents or children, to implement age-verification measures.
Upon the failure of these requirements, the companies could face fines of up to A$49.5 million ($32 million) for systemic breaches.
