Australia restricts social media for minors: Elon Musk launches attack

American billionaire Elon Musk, owner of the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), criticized Australia's proposed legislation to ban social media use for children under 16. The proposed law includes fines of up to AS 49.5 million (approximately $32 million) for platforms that systematically breach the rules.

Australia's center-left government introduced the bill in Parliament on Thursday, aiming to implement an age verification system to monitor social media usage. The legislation is described as among the strictest ever introduced globally.

Musk, known for his firm stance on free speech, expressed his concerns about the legislation in response to a post by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on X. “Seems like a backdoor way to control internet access for all Australians,” Musk wrote on Thursday evening.

Many countries have already announced plans to legislate restrictions on children's use of social media, but Australia's policy could be the strictest. While laws in countries like France and the United States allow for parental consent in certain cases, the Australian proposal includes no such exemptions and does not permit use even for existing accounts.

Last year, France proposed a law banning children under 15 from using social media, but it included a clause allowing usage with parental consent. In the United States, decades-old laws require tech companies to obtain parental consent to collect data from children under 13.

Musk is no stranger to conflicts with the Australian government. He previously called it “fascist” in response to the introduction of the country's misinformation law. Last April, X filed a lawsuit in Australian court against a cyber regulator's order to remove certain posts about the stabbing of a bishop in Sydney. The case elicited a sharp reaction from Prime Minister Albanese, who referred to Musk as an “arrogant billionaire.”

The current legislation aims to address the negative effects of social media on children, a topic at the forefront of public debate in Australia and worldwide. Opponents of the bill argue that it could lead to privacy violations and unnecessary restrictions on internet access.

The Australian government asserts that the move is necessary to protect children from online dangers, but it remains to be seen whether the initiative will lead to widespread implementation of an age verification system and how it will impact tech companies and users alike.