Australians Warned Against Banning Children from Social Media as Urges Delay on Proposed Legislation

Sydney, Australia - In a recent hearing before an Australian Senate committee, Sunita Bose, managing director of the Digital Industry Group Inc., called for a delay in proposed age verification legislation that would ban children under 16 from using mainstream social media platforms.

The proposed bill has sparked intense debate between lawmakers focused on child safety and digital industry regulators over concerns about the impact the legislation will have on children's access to information and online protection . Bose emphasized that this bill should not be rushed through Parliament without a thorough evaluation of how new age verification technologies would function , citing concerns about their effectiveness in verifying users ' ages .

The bill has sparked significant debate between the digital industry and lawmakers focused on children’s safety online . If passed , it would impose hefty fines of up to $32 million (approximately) on social media platforms that fail to prevent underage use . However, some lawmakers are concerned about the negative consequences of such a ban .  Opposition Senator Ross Cadell pressed 10-year-old users past the age limit , raising questions about effectiveness of these technologies .

Bose argued that Parliament is being asked to pass a bill this week without knowing how it will work , and emphasized the importance of delaying the decision to ensure that the government has a thorough understanding of the issues at hand before passing a bill that could have wide-reaching effects on children’s online access .