SYDNEY — Australia moved a step closer to banning social media for children under 16 on Wednesday (Nov. 26) after the lower house of Parliament passed the bill, even as Alphabet and Meta’s Google , owner of Facebook, urged the government to delay the adoption of the legislation.

Australia’s House of Representatives passed the bill by a vote of 102 to 13, after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor government secured bipartisan support for the ban.

The Senate is expected to debate the bill later on Wednesday, with the government keen to ensure it is passed by the end of the parliamentary year on Thursday.

Albanese, who is trying to improve his approval rating ahead of elections due in May, has argued that excessive use of social media poses risks to children’s physical and mental health and seeks support from parents.

Media outlets including News Corp supported the ban.

Some youth advocates, including the Australian Human Rights Commission, have expressed concerns that the law could infringe on children’s rights to self-expression, but a YouGov survey released on Tuesday showed that 77 percent of Australians supported the ban, up from 61 percent in an August survey.

The proposed law would require social media platforms to take reasonable steps to ensure age verification protections are in place. Companies could be fined up to A$49.5 million (S$43 million) for systemic violations.

Australia plans to test an age verification system that could include biometric data or government identification to enforce the ban, one of the strictest controls on social media imposed by a country to date.

On Tuesday evening, a Senate committee backed the bill but inserted a condition that social media platforms should not require users to submit personal data such as their passport and other digital IDs for prove their age.

In its report, the Senate Committee on Environmental and Communications Legislation said social media platforms “must present alternative methods of age assurance as reasonable measures, taking into account the age assurance test.” age.”

A progress report on the age assurance trial must be submitted by the Minister of Communications to Parliament by September 30, 2025, said the committee, which urged the government to “commit to meaningful way” with young people during the development of the law.

“Young people, and especially diverse cohorts, need to be at the center of the conversation as an age limit is implemented to ensure that constructive avenues of connection exist,” said Senator Karen Grogan, Chair of the committee.

In separate documents submitted to Parliament, Google and Meta said the social media ban should be delayed until the age verification trial was completed. Bytedance’s TikTok said the bill needed more consultations, while Elon Musk’s X said the proposed law could harm children’s human rights.

Some opposition MPs and independents criticized the government for trying to pass the law within a week. The bill was introduced last Thursday, filings closed the next day, and a brief public hearing was held Monday.

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