Accordingly, on November 26, "technology giants" Google and Meta - Facebook's parent company, called on the Australian Government to postpone the bill to ban children under 16 from using most social networks. They said the government needs more time to assess the potential impact of the bill.
This move comes as Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wants to pass the bill on November 28.
According to Google and Meta, the Australian government should wait for the results of the age verification test to apply the above regulation before passing the bill. The age verification system can include biometrics or government identification information to implement the age limit for social media use.
Meta representatives argued that, without the results of the age verification test, social networks and Australian people would not understand the nature or scale of the need to ensure the age of users, as well as the impact of this measure.
It is known that if the above bill is passed into law, it will force social media platforms to take reasonable measures to protect children whose ages have been verified.
Social media companies could be fined up to 49.5 million Australian dollars (about 32 million USD) if they violate the law.
