Kids under 16 to be banned from social media after Senate passes world-first laws
Children and teenagers under the age of 16 will be banned from social media after the government's world-first laws passed parliament late on the final sitting day of the year.
Most of the crossbench voted against the bill, as did Coalition senators Matt Canavan, Alex Antic, while Richard Colbeck abstained.
Children and teenagers will be banned from using social media from the end of next year after the government's world-first legislation passed the parliament with bipartisan support.
That means anyone under the age of 16 will be blocked from using platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook, a move the government and the Coalition argue is necessary to protect their mental health and wellbeing.
The late vote capped off a frantic day in the Senate, where the government managed to ram through most of its legislative agenda on the final sitting day of the year.
Coalition senators Matt Canavan and Alex Antic crossed the floor to vote with the entire crossbench against the laws, which received mixed reviews from mental health experts during a snap Senate inquiry this week. Liberal Richard Colbeck abstained.
