Big tech giants such as TikTok, Meta and Snapchat have broken their silence over social media ban in Australia for kids under the age of 16.
Shortly after the law which prohibits teenagers below 16 from accessing social platforms like TikTok, Facebook and Instagram was approved by the Australian parliament, tech companies expressed their concerns.
The new law requires social networking sites of Meta (Instagram and Facebook) and TikTok to stop minors logging in of they will face a whopping A$49.5 million ($32 million) as fine.
Now the hugely popular video creating site, TikTok, has reacted to the new ban in fresh statement to Reuters.
"Moving forward, it's critical that the Australian government works closely with industry to fix issues created by this rushed process. We want to work together to keep teens safe and reduce the unintended consequences of this law for all Australians," said TikTok in its statement on Friday.
Meanwhile Meta blasts the law by calling it "predetermined process".
"Last week, the parliament’s own committee said the ‘causal link with social media appears unclear,’ with respect to the mental health of young Australians, whereas this week the rushed Senate Committee report pronounced that social media caused harm," said Meta in an official statement.
For those unaware, the new law was presented into parliament last Thursday and sent to a select committee on Friday where interested parties had 24 hours to make a submission.
In an apparent chaotic move, the new law was finally approved on Thursday as part of 31 bills that were presented in a rush on the final day of Australian parliament this year.
It is pertinent to mention, the trail of the ban will begin January 2025, while the ban will be effective from November 2025.
