Jakarta – Elon Musk, owner of the social media platform X, has criticized a draft law in Australia that aims to ban social media use for children under the age of 16. Australia plans to pilot an age verification system including biometrics or identity cards to prevent children and teenagers from accessing social media platforms like X, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Social media companies could face fines up to 50 million Australian dollars for systemic breaches. According to NBC, the legislation, which has been introduced in Parliament by the Australian government, is one of the strictest in the world regarding social media. “It seems like a covert way to control access to the internet by all Australians,” Musk stated on X, responding to a post about the bill by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Other countries have tried to impose restrictions on social media for children, including the United States, which requires tech companies to obtain parental consent to collect data from children under 13. However, the proposal in Australia is much stricter. It sets the highest age limit in the world at 16 and does not allow exceptions for parental consent or pre-existing accounts. This is not the first time Musk has publicly criticized the Australian government over technology regulations. In April, he accused Australia of censorship after a court ordered X to remove graphic content related to a stabbing attack on a Sydney bishop broadcast online. At that time, Albanese called Musk an arrogant billionaire who thinks he is above the law. In September, Musk called the Australian government “fascist” over plans to crack down on misinformation online.
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