Elon Musk SLAMS Albanese government over social media age-limit reforms

Billionaire Elon Musk has rejected the Albanian government’s bill to ban social media for teenagers under 16 on his own social media platform X.

If the law passes, social media companies could face fines of up to $50 million if they don’t do enough to verify a user’s age on their platforms.

The world’s first legislation, tabled in parliament on Thursday, would also create a legal definition of social media.

But Mr Musk, who has been appointed by newly elected President Donald Trump to head a new Department of Government Efficiency, has had his say.

“It appears to be a backdoor way to control internet access for all Australians,” he captioned a retweet from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese addressing age limit reforms.

The bill may not be popular with Musk, but it will likely receive a warm welcome in parliament.

There has been broad bipartisan support for restricting minors’ access to social media for some time, with states and territories coming up with their own bans.

However, the bill is not without criticism.

Independent MP Zoe Daniel warned on Thursday morning that it could unintentionally make platforms ‘less safe’.

“My biggest concern about this is actually that it doesn’t substantially change what the platforms have to do on their platforms, and there could be an unintended consequence of the platforms actually becoming less secure,” she told the ABC.

“If you were to create a system where the platforms have to take responsibility, mitigate risk and be transparent about how they do that and what tools they use, then that potentially provides an environment where everyone can be. in a safe space.

“What we’re doing is saying, ‘Well, we’re going to lock out everyone under 16, and then everyone can do whatever they want in there.’

‘And we also know that some people under the age of 16 will get in. I don’t think that’s really a good way to go.’

Meanwhile, Snapchat is expected to be included in the definition of social media under Australian law.

Snapchat allows users to exchange photos, videos and messages instead of offering a message board-like feature like Facebook, Instagram or X

There was some uncertainty over whether Snapchat could escape the proposed ban by claiming it was a messaging service and not a social media platform.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has likened the ban to age restrictions on alcohol. He acknowledges that people can ignore it, but states that it sets a standard.

The laws would come into effect twelve months after passage.

The eSafety Commissioner would be responsible for enforcing the legislation.