Australia has become the first country in the world to ban children under 16 from using social media platforms, a move that critics warn will require every Australian to verify their age by linking social media accounts to a government-issued digital ID.
The legislation threatens social media companies with penalties of up to $50 million for non-compliance, sparking serious concerns over privacy, individual freedoms, and the erosion of parental rights.
Senator Matt Canavan delivered a scathing critique of the legislation, describing it as “a shameful stitch-up” and an “affront to our democracy.” Highlighting the rushed nature of the process, Canavan accused lawmakers of sidelining public opinion and democratic principles.
“A whole generation of Australians have watched this saga, this sordid saga, over the past week play out and be completely disillusioned with the democratic process,” Canavan said. “We’ve scheduled the debate for 10:30pm on the last day of school because we know that all the people that’ll be impacted by this ban will be in bed—it’s past their bedtime, they can’t even watch it.”
Critics have also raised concerns about the lack of transparency in the legislative process. Canavan noted the overwhelming public interest, with 15,000 submissions flooding in within 24 hours. Yet, he pointed out, only a fraction were even reviewed, calling it “an absolute outrage and a stitch-up of grand proportions.”
Canavan also challenged the bill’s fundamental premise: “Why is it that we’ve got this bill that seeks to, we think, we say—the minister says, ‘to help parents,’ and the word ‘parent’ is not mentioned at all in the bill. Not a single mention of the word parent in this bill. Why? Why aren’t we helping parents rather than trying to replace them? That’s what this bill tries to do. It tries to set up a nanny state.”
Senator Alex Antic, the only Liberal to oppose the bill, echoed Canavan’s criticisms, describing the bill as a recipe for chaos and an encroachment on basic freedoms. He pointed out glaring inconsistencies, such as exemptions for certain platforms:
“If you want to see some of the most egregious abuse you’ll ever see online, go online to a Call of Duty game and listen to the kids going at each other… it’s exempt! So, who’s thought of that one, minister? Who’s taken that into account?”
Antic painted a disturbing picture of where such legislation will lead, warning, “The Prime Minister and the Minister for Communications have boasted that the passing of this bill will make Australia a world leader in online safety. Well, they’re wrong. Because if this bill passes, we won’t be leading the world in online safety, we’ll be leading ourselves and those naïve enough to follow us down the road to further digital authoritarianism.”
He added, “When we finish tonight, we’ll have put another brick in the wall of a social credit style system in this country and let everybody look back on tonight as a night of shame.”
The new laws will be enacted in 2026.
