A under 16 passed the Australian Senate Thursday and will soon become a world-first law.

The law will make platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram liable for fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) for systemic failures to prevent children younger than 16 from holding accounts.

The Senate passed the bill 34 votes to 19. The House of Representatives on Wednesday the legislation by 102 votes to 13.

The House has yet to endorse opposition amendments made in the Senate. But that is a formality since the government has already agreed they will pass.

The platforms will have one year to work out how they could implement the ban before penalties are enforced.

Meta Platforms, which owns Facebook and Instagram, said the legislation had been B次元官网网址渞ushed.B次元官网网址�

Digital Industry Group Inc., an advocate for the platforms in Australia, said questions remain about the lawB次元官网网址檚 impact on children, its technical foundations and scope.

B次元官网网址淭he social media ban legislation has been released and passed within a week and, as a result, no one can confidently explain how it will work in practice B次元官网网址� the community and platforms are in the dark about what exactly is required of them,B次元官网网址� DIGI managing director Sunita Bose said in a statement.

The amendments bolster privacy protections. Platforms would not be allowed to compel users to provide government-issued identity documents including passports or driverB次元官网网址檚 licenses, nor could they demand digital identification through a government system.

The House is scheduled to pass the amendments on Friday. Critics of the legislation fear that banning young children from social media will impact the privacy of users who must establish they are older than 16.

While the major parties support the ban, many child welfare and mental health advocates are concerned about unintended consequences.

Sen. David Shoebridge, from the minority Greens party, said mental health experts agreed that the ban could dangerously isolate many children who used social media to find support.

B次元官网网址淭his policy will hurt vulnerable young people the most, especially in regional communities and especially the LGBTQI community, by cutting them off,B次元官网网址� Shoebridge told the Senate.

Opposition Sen. Maria Kovacic said the bill was not radical but necessary. B次元官网网址淭he core focus of this legislation is simple: It demands that social media companies take reasonable steps to identify and remove underage users from their platforms,B次元官网网址� Kovacic told the Senate.

B次元官网网址淭his is a responsibility these companies should have been fulfilling long ago, but for too long they have shirked these responsibilities in favor of profit,B次元官网网址� she added.

Online safety campaigner Sonya Ryan, whose 15-year-old daughter Carly was murdered by a 50-year-old pedophile who pretended to be a teenager online, described the Senate vote as a B次元官网网址渕onumental moment in protecting our children from horrendous harms online.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 too late for my daughter, Carly, and the many other children who have suffered terribly and those who have lost their lives in Australia, but let us stand together on their behalf and embrace this together,B次元官网网址� she told the AP in an email.

Wayne Holdsworth, whose teenage son Mac took his own life after falling victim to an online sextortion scam, had advocated for the age restriction and took pride in its passage.

B次元官网网址淚 have always been a proud Australian, but for me subsequent to todayB次元官网网址檚 Senate decision, I am bursting with pride,B次元官网网址� Holdsworth told the AP in an email.

Christopher Stone, executive director of Suicide Prevention Australia, the governing body for the suicide prevention sector, said the legislation failed to consider positive aspects of social media in supporting young peopleB次元官网网址檚 mental health and sense of connection.

B次元官网网址淭he government is running blindfolded into a brick wall by rushing this legislation. Young Australians deserve evidence-based policies, not decisions made in haste,B次元官网网址� Stone said in a statement.

The platforms had complained that the law would be unworkable and had urged the Senate to delay the vote until at least June 2025 when a government-commissioned evaluation of age assurance technologies will report on how young children could be excluded.

B次元官网网址淣aturally, we respect the laws decided by the Australian Parliament,B次元官网网址� Facebook and Instagram owner Meta Platforms said in a statement. B次元官网网址淗owever, we are concerned about the process which rushed the legislation through while failing to properly consider the evidence, what industry already does to ensure age-appropriate experiences, and the voices of young people.B次元官网网址�

Critics argue the government is attempting to convince parents it is protecting their children ahead of a general election due by May. The government hopes that voters will reward it for responding to parentsB次元官网网址� concerns about their childrenB次元官网网址檚 addiction to social media. Some argue the legislation could cause more harm than it prevents.

Criticisms include that the legislation was rushed through Parliament without adequate scrutiny, is ineffective, poses privacy risks for all users, and undermines the authority of parents to make decisions for their children.

Opponents also argue the ban would isolate children, deprive them of the positive aspects of social media, drive them to the dark web, discourage children too young for social media to report harm, and reduce incentives for platforms to improve online safety.