Melbourne: A bill was discussed in the Senate, the upper house of the Australian Parliament which provides for a ban on the use of social media by children under the age of 16. The lower house of the Parliament, the House of Representatives, has already approved this bill unanimously.
Under this bill, a fine of up to 50 million US dollars (33 million US dollars) can be imposed for not preventing underage children from creating accounts on TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit and X. The bill is expected to get the approval of the Senate during the last session of Parliament this year. This could be the last session of Parliament before the elections to be held within a few months.
Earlier, the House of Representatives approved the bill. The bill was 102 in favor and 13 against. Communications Minister Michelle Rowland urged the senators to pass the bill, saying that it reflects the views of the Australian public. Rowland told the House, “… the government is in favor of supporting parents and protecting youth.”
