The Australian parliament finally passed a landmark law on Thursday evening banning social media for children under 16. The law has now been approved by both houses of parliament, approving one of the world's toughest crackdowns on popular sites like Facebook, Instagram, and X.

Social media companies will soon have to make "reasonable efforts" to prevent young teenagers from signing up for accounts. If they fail to do so, the platforms could face fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars (approximately $33 million).

The legislation was initially passed by the House of Representatives (parliament's lower chamber) on Wednesday and later passed by the Senate on late Thursday evening. It has now officially become law.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who is preparing for an election early next year, has strongly supported new rules aimed at reducing the harm caused by social media. He has encouraged parents to support these changes.

Ahead of the vote, Albanese called social media "a place for peer pressure, a source of anxiety, a tool for scammers, and, most importantly, a danger for online predators." He wants young Australians to spend less time on their phones and more time playing sports like football, cricket, tennis, netball, or swimming.

However, many young Australians, like 12-year-old Angus Lydom, are not happy about the change. "I'd like to keep using it. It would feel strange not having it, especially when I can talk to all my friends at home," he told AFP.
Many kids, like Lydom, may try to find loopholes around the ban. "I'll find a way, and so will all my friends," he said.

Similarly, 11-year-old Elsie Arkinstall believes social media still has value. She thinks it’s useful for kids who want to watch tutorials on things like baking or art, which are often found on social platforms. "Kids and teens should be able to explore these techniques because you can't learn everything from books," she explained. The ban is one of the strictest ban in the world.

The new legislation, however, lacks clear details on how the rules will be enforced, which has raised concerns among experts. They fear it may end up being just a symbolic law that can't be put into practice.It will take at least 12 months for regulators to work out the specifics and for the ban to come into effect.

Some companies, like WhatsApp and YouTube, may be given exemptions, as teenagers might need them for recreation, schoolwork, or other purposes. Besides this, last-minute changes were made to ensure that government-issued digital IDs cannot be used for age verification.