Australia passes landmark social media ban for under 16s

The legislation orders social media firms to take "reasonable steps" to prevent young teens from having accounts

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Australian lawmakers passed landmark rules to ban under 16s from social media on Thursday, approving one of the world's toughest crackdowns on popular sites like Facebook, Instagram and X.

The legislation ordering social media firms to take "reasonable steps" to prevent young teens from having accounts was passed in the Senate with 34 votes in favour and 19 against.

The firms—who face fines of up to A$50 million (US$32.5 million) for failing to comply—have described the laws as "vague", "problematic" and "rushed".

The new rules will now return to the lower house—where lawmakers already backed the bill on Wednesday—for one final approval before it is all but certain to become law.

Speaking during the Senate debate, Greens politician Sarah Hanson-Young said the ban would not "make social media safer for young people".

She said it was "devastating" that young people were "finding themselves addicted to these dangerous algorithms".