Social media companies slam Australia's under-16 ban

As always, Snap will comply with any applicable laws and regulations in Australia,

it said

This ban risks pushing children into increasingly covert and unregulated online spaces as well as preventing them from accessing aspects of the online world essential to their wellbeing,

she said

It's entirely likely the ban could see young people pushed to darker corners of the internet where no community guidelines, safety tools, or protections exist,

a TikTok spokesperson said

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,

the company said in a statement

It's also obvious that the people who have drafted and fought for the particular elements of this bill actually have no idea how young people engage with the internet,

she added

The most important thing would be absolutely the education situation today in our schools, brought on by influencers like Andrew Tate and ready access to pornography, where young boys are abusing young girls in our schools, and that’s the generation that’s growing up.”

On ending domestic violence, she said

If you can do it in a way in which you don’t isolate young people, which is the other challenge, and we can turn that into the norm, then I think it’s absolutely the right way to go,

she added

Personally, I think it’s a brilliant idea, and I think it ties really neatly in with the work we do around tech abuse,

she said

We are seeing something like well over 30% of young girls in schools are saying that they have experienced sexual harassment or abuse, and that is direct result of social media and often that’s being done on social media so that images are being shared.”

She said

We know parents are concerned about the harms to children and we have taken a decision to support them

she told parliament

Seems like a backdoor way to control access to the internet by all Australians,

he recently captioned a retweet of Mr Albanese spruiking the age-limit reforms

The law places the onus on social media platforms — not parents or young people — to take reasonable steps to ensure these protections are in place,

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a November 21 press release

They've got financial resources, technologies and some of the best brainpower,

she told the outlet

Social media is doing harm to our kids and I'm calling time on it,

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra earlier this month

I'll find a way. And so will all my other friends

Lydom said

I'd like to keep using it. And it'll be a weird feeling to not have it, and be able to talk to all my friends at home."

But, 12-year-old, Angus Lydom, not impressed by this move told AFP

Kids and teens should be able to explore those techniques because you can't learn all those things from books,

she said

This is boomers trying to tell young people how the internet should work to make themselves feel better,

said Sarah Hanson-Young, a senator for the left-leaning Greens, in a late Senate sitting just before the bill was passed 34 votes to 19.

Putting an age limit and giving the control back to the parents, I think it's a starting point,

said Australian anti-bullying advocate Ali Halkic, whose 17-year-old son Allem took his life in 2009 following social media bullying

It will only create a generation of young people who will be more technologically literate in bypassing these walls,

she told Reuters