‘Seems out of step’: Meta responds to Albanese Government’s social media ban

November 22, 2024 2:34

Just a day after the government formally introduced legislation banning under 16s from having social media accounts, Meta has issued a response.

According to a Meta spokesperson, while the social media company is dedicated to upkeeping the online safety of young people, it’s concerned that the Albanese Government has rolled out its legislation without it having a strong foundation to stand on.

“Meta is committed to creating safe online experiences for young people and we will respect any age limits introduced by the government,” the spokesperson said in a statement given to Mumbrella.

“We’ve already invested significantly in understanding age and ensuring age-appropriate experiences on our apps, including the recent introduction of Instagram Teen Accounts. Any new laws aimed at protecting children and teens online should empower parents and be consistently applied across all apps that young people commonly use, including YouTube and online gaming.

They continued: “We are concerned the government is rushing this legislation without adequate consultation or evidence and there are still many unknowns with respect to its implementation.

“The legislation as drafted seems out of step with available research and expert opinions, including those from within the government, academia, industry, mental health organisations, and Australian parents and young people.

“Furthermore, the Government’s approach will likely require each app provider to collect personal identification or biometric data from all Australians in order to prevent under 16s from accessing their services, an inefficient and burdensome process for everyone.

“Parents need clear, efficient ways to oversee the many apps their children use, and that’s why we’ve proposed legislation that requires parental approval and age verification at the operating system and app store level, which reduces the burden and minimises the amount of sensitive information shared.”

Meta’s response comes on the same day as X owner, Elon Musk, weighing in on the legislation.

The Tesla Motor chief executive officer took to his platform to criticise the Albanese Government’s bill, insinuating that it could be used as a method to control internet access within Australia.

“Seems like a backdoor way to control access to the Internet by all Australians”, reads Musk’s post.

It’s not the first time the billionaire has clashed with Anthony Albanese. In April earlier this year, Musk and the prime minister entered into a back-and-forth war across X and TV that saw Albanese label Musk “an egoist” after X refused to remove violent videos of a Sydney church stabbing.